Meet Nia Jax: The Plus Size Wrestler Spreading Body Positivity

When you think of women wrestlers, tight skimpy outfits and a small frame come to mind, but meet the plus size wrestler who’s breaking barriers in and out of the the wrestling ring. Nia Jax, real name Savelina Fanene, is a force to be reckoned with. The 6 foot wrestler, who was born in Australia and raised in Hawaii, is also the cousin of former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

After making her wrestling debut in 2015, Nia is on a mission to spread the message of body positivity, and it seems to be working! She recently won the #seeHER Now Award in the US as recognition of the positive effect she has had on women, and was also a finalist for Game Changer of the Year at the People’s Choice Awards this year.

On top of that, Nia was a keynote speaker at theCURVYcon in September, a 3 day event hosted in New York City for plus-size celebrities, influencers and their fans, that celebrates all things plus size.

She also walked the catwalk for Dia & Co During New York Fashion Week, showing off her curvy physique in plus size party dresses. On body positivity and accepting yourself for who you are, Nia says:

"Don't get me wrong, there have been many occasions where I wished I could be thinner or have a different nose or hairline to fit in, but I realized that fitting in is not always as important as it seems. I realized that I love standing out in positive ways! I love sending a message of self-confidence and getting to share that with people.”

On choosing to get into the wrestling industry, Nia says: “When I first thought about getting into wrestling I was definitely sceptical. Not to knock the women, but they were skinny — they were beautiful! I felt like I couldn’t wrestle because I didn’t look like any of those girls. I considered wrestling at a young age, But I never could relate to any of the divas. I have always been a bigger girl, and I did not think that WWE would want a girl my size, so I never expressed my dream to wrestle."

A plus size model before she started wrestling, Nia states that doing sports at school and modelling gave her the confidence she needed to step into the ring. By being different, it enabled her to stand out from the crowd and inspire plus size women to feel confident within their own skin too, which is everything we stand for at Simply Be!

A WWE Superstar and part of the cast of TV series Total Divas, it’s not just the effort she puts into being an athlete inside the ring that makes Nia Jax a game changer. Stephanie McMahon, the WWE Chief Brand Officer and a former women’s champion, says:

"Nia Jax is a special talent and an even more special person. She is a game-changer, breaking conventions and rejecting stereotypes, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or body type, that have typically applied to women in the public eye.

She takes on this role with pride and determination, and her achievements are recognised by every little girl watching a show live or at home who is inspired to say: I want to do that, I want to be like Nia Jax. That's what the Women's Evolution is about, changing attitudes in a positive way about women in WWE, and in the world outside WWE."

Earlier last year Nia, who is used to performing in skin tight lycra that covers her arms and legs, posted a picture of herself to her 1.2 million followers on Instagram in a swimsuit for the first time. She told her followers that she was inspired to post the picture after meeting up with fans at Wrestlemania33. She said :

“Most, if not all of them, mentioned that my #BodyPositive mindset has helped them to be able to find confidence within themselves, which really touched me and even brought me to tears numerous times.”

Breaking the barriers of what is considered the norm in her industry, Nia Jax teaches her fans and followers that there is more than just one way to be beautiful, and that being healthy is the most important thing, saying:

 “I work out all the time, I eat healthy & try (emphasis on TRY) to get as much sleep as I can. There are obviously times where I love to pig out and enjoy myself, but I always make sure to never lose my focus on being healthy, because no matter what, your health is the number one most important thing in life. We aren't meant to look the same, but we are all meant to be healthy.”

A positive role model for her fans and followers, we predict a bright future for Nia, who leaves us with this little nugget of advice: “Appreciate and love the body you have now,” she says. “You’re beautiful no matter what, and it has nothing to do with the way you look on the outside.”