Eighteen months ago, Roya decided to leave her nursing career and enter the world of bodybuilding professionally.
It was a risky decision, although the main challenge for her was not changing jobs. Instead, she said it was more about adapting to freedoms after the restraints she had experienced in Afghanistan.
“Our biggest challenge was to break through the boundaries and frameworks that others had set for us – the unwritten rules that were imposed on us in the name of tradition, culture, religion or whatever,” she said. “But when you decide to innovate, you have to free yourself from those frameworks.”
It has also not come without its problems.
The bikinis, flowing hair and heavy make-up she wears on stage are a million miles away from the social norms – and now official restrictions – which dictate how women dress and present themselves in her home country.
It is perhaps not surprising then that her social media accounts have been bombarded with criticism, often including threats of violence and even death.
She dismisses the comments.
“People only see my appearance and my bikini. But behind this appearance, there are years of suffering, effort and perseverance. These successes have not come easily.”
But social media is far from a negative for Roya: it allows her to speak to women back in Afghanistan, talking to them about the importance of physical health, self-confidence and rebuilding one’s identity.