Goody bags and roses sat on a table as songs like “Like A G6” by Far East Movement boomed out of the speakers in the Catalyst gym in Avondale. On a snowy, chilly Saturday afternoon in Chicago, woman powerlifters were warmed up and ready to lift. 

On Feb. 15, the DePaul powerlifting club hosted an event called “The Ladies Lift” to empower female lifters in a largely male-dominated sport. Some women lifted alone and some lifted with someone keeping an eye out for them. In the powerlifting club, women are achieving greater heights, proving that muscle and toughness knows no gender. 

Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. While many people in the club lift for a workout, some members compete as well. Anastasia Campbell, the co-president of the club, says they compete one to three times a year, which is “pretty average.” 

“The way a powerlifting meet is set up is you’re maxing out nine times, going as heavy as you can,” Campbell said. “It takes your central nervous system a whole month to recover.” 

While they prepare relentlessly, stereotypes on women who powerlift persist — the biggest one being they “don’t know what (they’re) doing,” Campbell said. On top of that stereotype, Aren Pumm, the club’s recruitment officer, says they don’t get enough credit for their achievements. 

“As a woman in a male-dominated space, it’s really easy to just be discredited for what I’ve done and the knowledge I’ve accumulated,” Pumm said. “People assume that I’m getting here from either natural talent or circumstances and (they don’t) recognize the work I’ve put in.”

Despite these assumptions, the women’s powerlifting community persists. Campbell can be seen giving tips and tricks at the event to other women, helping those who were powerlifting for the first time. Pumm’s best piece of advice for women who are scared to lift is to surround yourself with people who will “stick around” when you “put yourself out there.”

“The people who support you when you put yourself out there are the people that you want in your life and the people that will take you places,” Pumm said. “As much as you grow and develop individually, it’s the people around you that shape you and have the potential to mold you into a better version of yourself.” 

Georgie Casaletto, the social media officer of the club, said that when she tells fellow DePaul students she powerlifts, they react well and say it’s cool. But she has gotten some negative misconceptions from older people in her life. 

“I think any misconception that comes with women in powerlifting … (is) not every woman is meant to be some American standard that we need to cater to to be happy and to make men happy,” Casaletto said. 

Campbell said she’s “never seen an issue” of powerlifting making her “less feminine.”

“Women have participated in all sorts of sports for a long time … I think the (feminine) stereotype is exaggerated a little bit,” Campbell said. “There are certainly people who are going to put you down and say that you’re not very feminine, but it’s a very small percentage compared to the people who are incredibly supportive.” 

Casaletto agrees and says being feminine is “too narrow nowadays.”

“Powerlifting holds a lot of femininity in the sense that … I think womanhood is about strength and unity as women in lived experiences,” Casaletto said. “Joining a community of like-minded individuals and strong women, I was like, I seriously could not find a better place to see women who step outside of the standards that I felt I never fit into.”

Related Stories:

• DePaul Dance Company shares hidden athleticism
• Climbing into community: DePaul club brings fellowship within reach  
• On the Grid: Should chess be considered a sport? 

Stay informed with The DePaulia’s top stories, delivered to your inbox every Monday.