She's a gold-medal-winning up-and-comer in the world of bodybuilding and can bench several times her own weight — but Georgina McConnell still gets bullied for being a "freak."

Since she started lifting weights at age 14, McConnell knew she had found her calling.

"Originally like most girls I wanted to be thin and toned so a lot of the things I did in the gym revolved around cardio and very light weights," she writes in her Anabolic Designs bio. "After going to the gym for a while I started to see a lot of changes within myself and realised that I had the ability to gain muscle and change my body."

At 17, McConnell officially decided to become a professional bodybuilder, and soon found herself garnering acclaim from her peers and taking home medals.

But the British teen's choices were not without their detractors.

"I get a lot of compliments for my physique, but I get a lot of insults too," the 5' 7" McConnell, who recently turned 19, told The Daily Mail. "Quite a few people have said nasty things about me in the past."

Indeed, the volume of attacks became so severe that McConnell was forced to take to her own Facebook fan page earlier this month to slam the shit-slingers:

Not that all men are mean to McConnell, though.

"I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment, but I don’t think my unusual hobby will put all boys off," she said. "Yes, some are a bit intimidated by my muscles, but others like them - I think it’s an acquired taste."

[photos via Facebook]