How do you feel when you see an image of a thing, toned, tanned body with words like "no excuses" emblazoned across them? Do such images make you love yourself more?
If you're anything like me, they don't. For me, these images remind me of a body that I will never have, and a body that I have learned that I don't even want.
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| Actually, no I'm not, and I'll tell you why next week. Source |
I know we've all seen these images popping up in our Facebook feeds and on Pinterest (especially on Pinterest). Some argue that they are meant to inspire women to take control of their health and move their bodies. But really, they are just another means of (emotionally, mentally) punishing women for not living up to some ideal that someone else decided was attractive.
My problems with this are manifold.
First, the images themselves. Only one body type is represented in these images: that of a thin, usually white, tanned, and toned body. Many of these images even feature a woman with somewhat large breasts, with just the right amount of cleavage to make it "sexy." These women have defined abs and very little body fat. Nothing about their bodies is soft.
Personally, I don't want a hard body. I want a body that babies want to cuddle with. I want a body that jiggles some when I belly dance (it makes for a more pronounced visual). I want a body that is feminine and sensual, by my definition. This means more body fat than what these pictures tell me.
Is the body I want unhealthy?
Nope. In fact, the body I want is the body I have. And the body I have is within a healthy BMI range.
And this takes me to my second point. Women shouldn't be striving to change their bodies in order to love them. Women should be encouraged to love the bodies that they have. Why? Because love is what matters. And if you're coming from the stand-point of promoting health, people take care of the things they love. Loving your body leads to caring for your body.
My second problem with fitspo are the words that are used. There is too much talk of "no excuses" and "a hot body is the best revenge" and "someone who is busier than you is running right now." Really makes you feel great about yourself, right? Wrong.
Call me sensitive, but such words just make me feel chastised. I imagine a drill sergeant yelling at me, or some snobby girl giving me that stinky face look. No bueno.
First of all, the bodies in those images require more workout time than needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some people just don't prioritize fitness in that way. For some of us, three times a week is all the workout we can manage, and that is ok. For some of us (ok, for me) sleep is the biggest priority in our well-being, so we are not going to simply wake up earlier to fit in a workout (also, I prefer working out in the evening to burn off stress).
So don't talk to me about excuses, I've got mine and I'm ok with my choices. And as for having a hot body?
Since when is my body not hot? And why does it even have to be hot?
That last one is the one that gets me the most. To me, the worst thing that these images do is perpetuate this idea that a woman's biggest goal and greatest asset is being sexually appealing to everybody. Seriously? I do not want everyone to be sexually attracted to me, far from it! And last time I checked, I was a person with thoughts and feelings, whose greatest asset was her capacity for love.
So, how do we fix this? I, for one, have stopped following Pinterest boards that pin these types of images, just as I stopped buying fashion and fitness magazines years ago. We can all start making choices about what we want to see and what images we choose to surround ourselves with. And if you're someone who casually pins or shares these kinds of images, I'd like you to think twice about what kind of impact you are having. Chances are you're not encouraging someone to choose a healthy lifestyle.
If you want someone to choose to eat healthy, pin recipes for delicious salads. And if you want to inspire someone to lead an active lifestyle, a lifestyle which manifests itself in all body types, show images of all types of people engaging in a physical activity. Because really, how many times have you looked at an average person (not a fit model) and thought to yourself, "if they can do it, I can."
How do you feel about "fistpo?" What sort of images make you feel inspired? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
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