Hannah Teter, the 23-year-old American winner of the 2006 Olympic half-pipe defended her Sports Illustrated spread in which she appears in her bikini.

“I was really amped up to do that because I don’t believe in the criminalization of bodies and women having to be ashamed of their bodies,” Teter told Reuters. “That’s just so wrong.”

Before the photo shoot last June Teter had just gone swimming at a beach and was annoyed when she had to change clothes without revealing too much.

“I had just gone swimming and was trying to change from my T-shirt to my sweatshirt without exposing anything. It was such a process. I was just so freaked out.

“I was pissed off at the system. It wasn’t right. Guys with bigger boobs than I have walk around and they’re fine. If women were to do that they could go to jail. That’s totally wrong.”

Teter admits she has had “a little bit” of grief from people thinking she is being exploited and “turning the Olympics into some kind of sexual thing.”

“I have good answers for those people,” she said. “They usually see my point of view. The pictures are a little risque but they’re totally not sexual.

She is a free spirit and doesn’t see the problem with showing a little skin.

“Bodies are beautiful and should be appreciated. People have different points of view that need a little bit of light shined on to.”

Teter is going through some similar criticism as Lindsey Vonn the famous skier who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in a pose that was perceived to have sexual overtones.