Everyone’s obsessed with Venezuela’s ‘Wonder Woman’

THE beautiful Venezuelan protester whose photo went viral last week has revealed what it takes to get a physique like Wonder Woman.

Caterina Ciarcelluti clashes with police during a march against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on May 1, 2017. Picture: AFP

THIS is the image that brought global attention to the crisis in Venezuela.

It shows 44-year-old Caterina Ciarcelluti — who has been dubbed Venezuela’s ‘Wonder Woman’ — in denim daisy dukes, a tank top, crash helmet and aviator sunglasses. Her blonde locks are flowing as she launches a rock at the national guard during a protest in Caracas.

To say that she is toned and tanned is an understatement — she looks like a competitor in a bodybuilding championship. There’s no doubt that rock is being sent across enemy lines with blistering force.

Her name trended on Twitter the day the image was released.

As Stephen Gibbs at The Times in London puts it, Ciarcelluti has become the unofficial heroine of Venezuela’s opposition — her photo was used to bring attention to a crisis that was otherwise being largely ignored.

Record high inflation, food shortages and deadly protests are currently gripping the country, once considered South America’s richest nation.

Now it’s on the verge of collapse as its people demand economic reform and an end to the country’s authoritarian rule.

Although the country has more oil underground than Saudi Arabia, it is facing desperate times with people queuing for hours for basic food and provisions.

Ciarcelluti has been demonstrating against the left-wing governments of President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, since she was a physical education student in the early 2000s.

The article in The Times points out that Ciarcelluti is “in better shape than most of the uniformed forces she faces”.

She despises indoor gyms and instead uses the forested mountain that overlooks Caracas for her daily exercise.

“That involves a jog up the hill at 6am carrying weights followed by an hour and a half of exercises at altitude. By 8am, after a five-egg-white omelet, she is ready for her day job as a personal trainer for private clients.

“She is not especially unusual, she claimed, in her fitness regimen. ‘We Venezuelan women are all guerillas. It’s in our personality,’ she said, ‘We tend to look after ourselves physically.’”

Thanks to her image going global, she now has 46,000 followers on her Instagram account — a number that is steadily growing.

The account is part political activist, part fitspo.

Ciarcelluti told The Times she hurled the stone at the national guard as “a moment of rage”. She says she does not condone violence but doubts that an entirely peaceful opposition movement can achieve its aims.

“If it’s only peaceful they are not going to leave. I just can’t see it happening. I am not saying there needs to be extreme violence but there needs to be pressure. Constant pressure. We must not tire.”

She told Univision that she was surprised by the attention her image had generated.

“I’ve been protesting since day one, so when they sent me this photo it was a surprise, but I’m glad if it has a positive outcome, so they know about us and also about the women who are leading along with the men”, she said.

While much has been made of her physique, she says it is mental strength that has kept her and thousands of Venezuelans on the streets for 30 days.

“Mentally I am stronger than I look physically,” she told Univision.

While most have praised Ciarcelluti and are glad that she has helped shed light on the issues in Venezuela, some are bemused by the whole situation.

This tweet translates to: “So you guys know how revolutions are made, today’s news is about Caterina Ciarcelluti boobs”.

Hoy las tetas de Caterina Ciarcelluti son la noticia sobre Venezuela. Para que vean como se hacen revoluciones.

— DaNA (@danax2007) May 4, 2017

— With Deb Killalea and wires