If you are a male surfer with the gift of sight, you have let your eyes linger maybe a little too long when perusing images of pro surfer Alana Blanchard. A great athlete on her own merits, she has eclipsed the act of surfing by expanding the surfing stereotype to include a much softer, feminine sensibility. Women surfers had traditionally tried to distance themselves from the slugs lying on beach towels under a slathering of suntan oil serving little more purpose than a pretty picture.

Instead, female wave riders made it a point to be ladies of action, who talk tough, surf tough, and would probably be more likely to drop in on you than blow you a kiss or cheer on her man as he gets a good wave. But Blanchard has held strong to that athletic aesthetic, and has also remained “feminine” in the traditional sense with as many photos of her scantily clad frame writhing on some tropical beach as she has action shots of her getting barreled. Again, these ideas of femininity and objectification in our culture have made her approach problematic for some in the surfing community.

Detractors have fired accusations of her being a sell-out who has ruined all the work done by girls of the past who fought to make surfers girls a serious presence in the lineup rather than floating centerfolds. Female athletes have always had to walk that line between their pre-prescribed place in society and their own visions of equality in the lineup, but Blanchard saw a way to do it all. Granted, she could only have done it with blessings in both surfing talent and looks, but she has remained in control of her image and her career.

When she ripped Snapper Rocks in a G-string in front of throngs of contest spectators, critics called her a plethora or nasty names, but she laughed all the way to the bank as the exposure led to full page advertisements, Sports Illustrated photo shoots, and a building fascination from far outside the surf world.

Born on Kauai March 5th, 1990, Alana Rene Blanchard cut her teeth surfing the remote perfection on the Garden Isle that is both idyllic and raw. Surfing in the shadow of the Irons brothers and alongside the likes of Sebastian Zietz, she quickly progressed in as a surfer. By the time she was 15 years old, she had won several major competitions. Although she had proven her mettle with wins at the T&C Women’s Pipeline Championships, HASSA State Championships, NSSA Regionals, Rip Curl Grom Search, and the honor of Triple Crown Rookie Of The Year; Blanchard’s rise to fame came in a much darker way a few years prior when she would be unexpectedly catapulted her onto the global radar.

On October 31, 2003, Alana was surfing with her friend Bethany Hamilton at a spot on Kauai’s North Shore near Hanalei when Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark. The shark completely severed her left arm and caused her to lose massive amounts of blood. The tragic event was broadcast around the world and a tsunami of media attention ensued. Blanchard was interviewed ad nauseam as the “friend” in what began as a horrible event , but as Hamilton’s uncommonly sunny disposition and intense religious faith became evident, the vicious shark attack (learn more about sharks) morphed into testament to the human spirit. Hamilton became a symbol of strength and resolve for teenage girls everywhere, and soon the surfers involved became “characters” in the Hollywood drama, Soul Surfer. Lorraine Nicholson played Blanchard in the 2011 hit film.

But as Hamilton traveled the world as a surfing ambassador, Blanchard quietly continued to work with wins at the Women’s Pipeline Championships in Hawaii, the Rip Curl Girls Festival Jr. Pro in Spain, the Roxy Pro Trials, Haleiwa in Hawaii, the Billabong Pro, Pre Trials in Maui, and at the Volcom Pufferfish Surf Series right at home at Pinetrees, Kauai. Blanchard had proven that she was the real deal with winning performances against the world’s best surfers, but as she matured physically, she found yet another successful avenue for success.

Slowly, Blanchard built a persona over various social networks punctuated with images of her adventures all over the world. For fellow surfers, she ripped, but for the rest of the world (and the surfers too), she looked really good in a bikini which led to modeling and fashion shoots. Regardless of what critics have lobbed at her, she has made surfing and hanging at beach a lucrative career. Some say she has sold out by embracing of the beauty and fashion industry. Others expressed anger that she had been part of the “objectification” of women surfers, but Blanchard soldiered on: each step, each wave, each fashion shoot, each Instagram shot a calculated move.

Here’s the deal: she isn’t a model who can surf. She is a surfer who is photogenic. She is a surfer who pulls in all over the world over isolated reefs. She is a surfer who grew up launching airs at Pinetrees and competing against the world’s best athletes. She looks to be using all the talents given at birth. You can’t fault a girl for that.