Romanian boxer Lăcrămioara Perijoc addresses gender speculation: 'I like damn much what a woman I am'

Romanian athlete Lăcrămioara Perijoc, a vice world champion and European champion in boxing, has responded to online speculation about her gender, prompted by her muscular physique. In a TikTok video, Perijoc directly addressed comments questioning whether she is a "boy or girl," stating emphatically, "Dear ones, I am a girl."

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Dear ones, I am a girl.

Perijoc, who presents herself on the platform as a champion in her sport and discusses athletes' mental preparation, used the video to counter remarks about her musculature and physical features. She explained that these attributes are the product of years of dedicated work and her chosen profession. "These muscles you see are all mine," she stated, acknowledging that she practices a sport still often perceived as masculine or "for thugs." She also noted that she possesses certain traits some might consider masculine, such as short hair and well-developed muscles.

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These muscles you see are all mine. Only that I chose to practice a sport that is still considered a sport for men or, I received this comment, 'a sport for thugs'. Yes, maybe I have some traits that some would call masculine, such as, I don't know, short hair, more developed muscles.

"I didn't build myself overnight," Perijoc emphasized, recounting how physical labor, starting with farm work in her rural upbringing, was a part of her life from childhood. Later, competitive sports honed both her body and her self-perception. "And later, I started building and refining myself in gyms, during the years of performance I chose to pursue," she said. She highlighted her strength, independence, and self-confidence, noting her ability to handle tasks many men might struggle with, suggesting this competence sometimes makes people uncomfortable.

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But I want you to know that I didn't build myself overnight. I built myself like this over years of work. At first, I worked in the fields, on chores around the yard, because I grew up in the countryside.

Beyond the specific comments that prompted her video, Perijoc reflected on the broader societal tendency to make snap judgments based on outward appearance. "But, dear ones, jokes aside, I find it interesting how quickly we can judge a person just by their cover, without knowing or making an effort to see who they are, what they have lived through, how hard they have worked, what character they have, what they can offer the world," she stated. Perijoc concluded by expressing her contentment with her appearance and her identity as a woman: "As for me, I am very good with myself. I like damn much what a woman I am, I like my style, I like the body I have built, I like my character."

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And later, I started building and refining myself in gyms, during the years of performance I chose to pursue. Yes, I am strong, I am independent, I have confidence in myself, I can handle things that I think very many boys wouldn't be able to handle. And I noticed that, sometimes, that's precisely what bothers people.