Elle King, in her song, America’s Sweetheart, proclaims, “I’m not America’s Sweetheart, but you love me anyway." Another King seemed to say the same thing as she tossed 210-pounds over her head last week in Rio. Olympic weightlifter, Morghan King, set the American record for the snatch lift, and became one of the few women in the world who can snatch double her body weight. That’s right. The United State’s weightlifting record holder stands five feet tall at an even 48-kilograms, or 105-pounds.

Placing sixth in the world, King did not bring a medal back to the states, but her teammate, Sarah Robles, managed to bring home some hardware. Robles, at 5-feet 10-inches tall, weighed in at an even 140kg, or 310 pounds, before becoming the first weightlifter in sixteen years to bring home a medal for the United States. Robles honors King and responds to degrading comments about her size with an Instagram post, under which she wrote, “When people say, ‘I don’t want to lift because I don’t want to look like her,’ meaning me…. It’s both ignorant and sad. Please, go learn things. Here’s my teammate Morghan King. She’s an Olympian too! You know how big she is? 48kg/105 lbs. She’s strong and fast. Crazy thing: She didn’t grow a foot taller or gain 210 pounds.”

Despite the comments Robles gets about her size, last week the entire country seemed to be on her team. We called it team USA. Robles joins the team of misfit toys with Allyson Felix, Simone Biles and Mallory Weggemann, whose strength, discipline, and performance broke the mold for America’s Sweetheart, and gave the country no choice but to fall in love with them. Heavyweight, Chicken Legs, a legal dwarf, and a paraplegic, respectfully, now find themselves on the covers of cereal boxes, starring in NBC commercials, and representing their country the best way they know how.

And guess what?

Nobody cares what these athletes look like.

America’s Sweetheart used to be anybody who resembled those overpriced porcelain dolls. She wore a red dress and she waved to an adoring crowd while someone fixed her makeup and wiped the sweat off her brow. She spoke about inspiring girls to be better and give to the poor. She walked up a catwalk and her face and body were plastered over billboards in New York City and magazines delivered to your door.

Biennially, America’s Sweethearts come in all shapes and sizes, and they capture the hearts of Americans with flips over a balance beam, with a step across a finish line, and yes, even a with weight or two. Once every two years, America’s Sweethearts get to empower girls without wearing a tiara; once every two years, women get to be strong, too.

I am not a feminist, but I also can’t fit into a Victoria’s Secret double zero. I spent my life playing sports and my sparkly accessories gather dust in my jewelry box. For two weeks every two years, the country learns to appreciate and honor these phenomenal athletes for more than what they look like or what designer they wear. Medals don’t discriminate against size, haircut, or glitter level; they reflect the work these athletes put in to get there, and acknowledge just how much of which those relentlessly critiqued bodies are capable. They get to show girls that they can inspire with a larger jean size.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and the Huffington Post used this image a couple years ago to tell it's story on the different body types across Olympic sports. From left to right: Volleyball, Swimming, Boxing, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Shot Put Throw, Gymnastics, Pole Vault, Swimming, Adventure Racing, Hammer Throw, Basketball, Bodybuilding, Golf, and Weightlifting.

Once every two years, there is no mold for America's Sweetheart. There is no glorified height, race, hair color, or weight. Once every two years, the mold is broken, and the only thing that makes these athletes similar are the three letters across their chests. Once every two years, that's enough.

But it isn't enough. It isn't enough to show honor to these athletes, these true American sport heroes, 14 out of 730 days. And athletes like Robles, who we talk about once every four years, only get recognized when they make history. If girls were to grow up idolizing athletes like Robles, Felix, Biles, Weggemann, and King, they can appreciate the beauty in strength, and honor their bodies for what they can do rather than solely for how they look.

Morghan King states in a "Defy Labels" champagne, "Anybody that would say that strong and being feminine is not cool, (chuckles) those people don't matter... I think it's really important to teach women and to teach girls to embrace their bodies."

Elle King begins the chorus of her America's Sweetheart with, "What do you want from me/ I'm not America's Sweetheart/ So beat the drum with me." I don't know how many young girls got to beat that drum in real time, since the record-breaking event wasn't aired until 11pm. Nonetheless, Sarah Robles took all 310 pounds of herself and stood on the medal platform as the first American weightlifter to do so in four Olympic games. Hell- if she had done this in Athens, she would've even gotten a crown.

These athletes don't look like America's Sweetheart, but they're the ones who have the power to inspire women and break these molds and stereotypes. They're the ones we should look at as an example of work ethic, diligence, and commitment. Their poise, strength, and mentality put them on the one stage where appearance means nothing.

Playing off the words of Elle King, they aren't America's Sweethearts, but we love them anyway.