As a fitness blogger and trainer, I’m witness to more body hate than the average person.
People come to me with their ‘flaws’ on their sleeves asking for help for their ‘trouble’ zones, weight loss tips, to get rid of muffin tops & cellulite etc. Initially I prescribed exercise and diet regimens, assuming that once their ‘flaws’ were fixed, they’d be happier (as did they). But there was always something else not to like. Something else that wasn’t perfect. Because of course, none of us are perfect. No matter how much weight they lost or how toned they got, they never seemed to measure up to the image of perfection in their heads.
And that’s when it hit me. What people wanted was not really flat abs, slim thighs or weight loss. They simply wanted to be rid of the insecurity they felt. And that wasn’t something they could fix by only changing their bodies.
Weight Stereotyping: The Secret Way People May Judge You Based On Your Body
This was a controversial post from Glamour magazine that really got people talking! Read an excerpt below and click on the link to read more. Excerpt: “What our poll shows about the assumptions women hold… Heavy women are pegged as… “lazy” 11 times as often as thin women; “sloppy” nine times; “undisciplined” seven times; “slow” six times as often While thin women are seen as… “conceited” or “superficial” about eight times as often as heavy women; “vain” or “self-centered” four times as often; “bitchy,” “mean,” or “controlling” more than twice as often. Even the “good” labels are unfair. An overweight woman may be five times as likely to be perceived as “giving” as a skinny one. Read More: http://glamour.com/health-fitness/2012/05/weight-stereotyping-the-secret-way-people-are-judging-you-based-on-your-body-glamour-june-2012 Thoughts?
A few fashion forward, body lovin’ tips from the one and only Miss. Piggy! Haha, this is great!
Thanks to ohmeursault for submitting!
Remember: You are awesome. Don’t let them forget it :)
(via be-careful-what-you-fish-for)
Skinny Witch vs. Chubby Fairy
What our poll shows about the assumptions women hold…
Heavy women are pegged as…
- “lazy” 11 times as often as thin women;
- “sloppy” nine times;
- “undisciplined” seven times;
- “slow” six times as often.
While thin women are seen as…
- “conceited” or “superficial” about eight times as often as heavy women;
- “vain” or “self-centered” four times as often;
- “bitchy,” “mean,” or “controlling” more than twice as often.
Even the “good” labels are unfair. An overweight woman may be five times as likely to be perceived as “giving” as a skinny one.
“But it just fits into the stereotype that thin women are not that way,” explains Ann Kearney-Cooke, Ph.D. “It’s still putting women in a box based on their body size.”
I love this young girl & her mission! Really wish that Seventeen magazine had taken up her challenge (to be honest, I see it as a HUGE missed opportunity for them).
Every day I get messages from young girls begging for help to fix normal, everyday, common body ‘flaws’ (note: actually not flaws, but are perceived that way. Cellulite is no more a flaw than your ears are. It’s normal, common and something that 90% of women have: not that you’d know it from the way it’s represented in the media). Most young girls have no idea how SKEWED our notions of beauty are or how deep they’ve been internalized. Even though most teens women are aware of photoshopping practices, they still pine for the altered bodies they see everyday in magazines, ads, billboards etc.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a magazine that, even just ONCE A MONTH, promoted real bodies? As they are? With no digital alteration?
It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a step in the right direction. And you would think it’s not too much to ask (in fact, it may be just the kind of thing that boosts sales at a time when print media is struggling).
Excerpt via Modern Mom
Julia Bluhm, 14, has gotten more than 48,000 signatures for her online petition to “give girls images of real girls” in the pages of Seventeen magazine. The eighth-grader asked the magazine to commit to printing one unaltered photo spread per month.
In the petition written to persuade the editors, Bluhm wrote that girls are deeply influenced by the perfect images they see in the magazines and rip their own bodies and faces apart when they themselves fail to live up what they don’t realize are Photoshopped, airbrushed standards.
“Here’s what a lot of girls don’t know,” she wrote in the petition, “those ‘pretty women’ that we see in magazines are fake. They’re often Photoshopped, airbrushed and edited to look thinner, and to appear like they have perfect skin. A girl you see in a magazine probably looks a lot different in real life.”
“For the sake of all the struggling girls all over American, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, I’m stepping up,” Bluhm continued.
It’s not everyday that something catches my attention and COMPELS me to throw in my two cents. I’ve worked hard on trying to let things go, and I choose topics carefully to discuss here: the right time, the right place and always from a place of love. Today’s no different, but I NEED to rant a little. I hope you’ll indulge me. (If you feel like ranting too, we can high five it out in the comments or you can send me a message). This is causing a HUGE stir on Facebook right now and while I initially ignored it, I think it deserves some attention.
I would LOVE to name names, but don’t need to. There’s no sense in knocking anyone down, and I am a FAN of the page/site in question and will continue to be, if nothing else for the daily inspiration and fabulous workouts they post. But for the love of squats, they PISSED me off today. The kind of pissed where you want to let it go, but realize that you need to vent first to relieve some of the tension.
I know that MANY of you are also following them, so it’s likely you’ll know what I’m talking about here. Would love to know your thoughts if so.
This morning a MASSIVELY popular page posted a pic that I think was meant to stir discussion (or get attention) but ALL it did was promote body shaming, body criticizing, misogyny, and to be honest, bullying. ‘Let’s make it OK to comment negatively on female bodies in a huge forum’ kind of stuff.
Today, the image of a lovely, GORGEOUS young woman - a stranger to the people who run the site - was posted on their page, with the phrase…
“Ran into this in our news feed…HAD to ask you guys your thoughts…”
Why ‘HAD?’
Because she was rockin’ armpit hair. Full on. Gloriously, confidently, happily so.
In fact, the lovely lady is in the news for her natural look and is stirring a fabulous discussion about body image, natural beauty and more. Had they posted a link to her news story and asked for thoughts on body image, it may have been a slightly better way to go. Discussion based. Educational. Maybe eye-opening to some. But nope. All that was posted was the picture, out of context. With that word ‘HAD’ as though the picture alone was worth the CAPS.
We’re not used to seeing arm pit hair these days, so the picture IS quite striking. But why did they ‘HAVE’ to ask our thoughts on a seemingly sweet pic? Because they wanted to PROVOKE REACTION. But anyone with half a brain would know that of the MANY reactions the picture may get, a good chunk would be mean.
Really MEAN.
In short, they provided a forum for people to make fun of her, spew hate, reinforce ideas about what women SHOULD look like and otherwise be incredibly mean. I believe it was meant to stir ‘discussion’ or ‘gain attention’ but all it did was push women down. WAY down. And I’m not alone - last count there were well over 400 comments, seemingly split between ‘ew, gross’, ‘why they hell would you post something like that?’ and ‘you guys are awful for shaming her like this’.
A step in the right direction? Thoughts?
via Gawker
The heads of Vogue’s 19 international editions have come together to form a six-point pact which promises, among other things, to stop the practice of working with models younger than 16, or those who, at the editors’ discretion, are determined to be suffering from an eating disorder.
“Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the wellbeing of their readers,” Condé Nast International chairman Jonathan Newhouse said in a statement.
Fist pumps all around for this winner of an article! (You have no idea how hard I fought the urge to say ‘breast pumps’ instead).
I struggle sometimes in this industry where rapid weight loss is praised, rewarded and used as inspiration. I’ve just seen too many women brutalize their bodies into quick ‘results’ only to gain it all back and too many women give up on healthy habits when their 10lb goal isn’t hit in a week. Two friends of mine who’ve recently had babies couldn’t help but ‘apologize’ for their slightly bigger appearance when I saw them. As if being a new mom and adjusting to a new busy life was somehow a shitty excuse for why they weren’t back in their skinny jeans yet. What? I smacked ‘em. With love. :)
What happened to the ‘baby moon’? The period of time where you can just connect with the wee one, adjust to momhood and not have to worry about losing that weight?
Video montage with excerpts from ‘Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It
Thoughts?
This is a fabulous read for parents, fit bloggers and ANYONE who wants more insight into society’s weight obsession. It’s a complicated issue & its NOT just the media to blame. There are lots of ways body negativity manifests in young girls and women and behaviors that encourage it.
Earlier this week, we talked a little but about the body shame game: where one woman shares something she hates about her body, then others chime in with what they hate etc. It’s a common game that women play, but while most women believe it to be harmless, studies show that over time we begin to believe the negative things we say about our bodies. We internalize them and equate it with our self-worth.
Time to stop. You cannot hate your body healthy: healthy is a place you get to with love. :)
I wanted to share an excerpt from this awesome book with you! Read it below and click on the links for more details.
Excerpt from: Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It
The body bully within: Her own worst enemy.
It’s nearly 2 p.m. on a hot Wednesday in July, and my Sassy Sisterhood Girls Circle is winding down for the day. The girls hand in their “Real Me” diaries, which contain the answer to today’s question: “What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
From one to the next, I see the same responses:
- “I think I look fat.”
- “My belly is too big.”
- “I can’t stand my legs.”
Ashley, age fourteen, decides to read her entry to the group. She tells them that she looks in the mirror and squeezes the fat on her size-8 thighs. “You’re disgusting,” she admits to scowling at herself. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head when she recalls the triple chocolate sundae — made with frozen yogurt instead of the real thing — she ate the night before during a family outing. “I try to be good … and I keep telling myself that I have to have more willpower, or I’ll never be a size 0.”
If you follow my blog, you know that I do my best to try and promote positive body-image (with a little self-love 101). I also try to discourage negative self-talk & body shaming which seems to be making so many of us miserable. It’s a freaking epidemic.
Aside from media pressure, there are a LOT of ways we inadvertently encourage body shaming in our daily lives. Here are just a few.
For one, we use physical appearance as a way to compliment each other and to lift someone’s spirits (You look great! Have you lost weight? New haircut? Love it!). We also criticize each other’s bodies at alarming levels (she’s too skinny, she’s too fat, she shouldn’t wear that, look at her cellulite). Little girls get messages from everything around them: we simultaneously tell them that looks shouldn’t matter, yet emphasize looks all the time. We try to tell little girls to love their bodies, yet criticize ours in the mirror while we dress for work (they’re watching & listening to every conversation you have with your girlfriends about which body parts you hate also).
Every girl learns to hate her body by watching other women hate theirs or hate on each other’s.
We tell little girls how pretty they are, over any other attribute they may have. It’s usually the first thing out of our mouths when we see a little girl, or get a chance to say howdy. Look how pretty you are...
Stop the bad body talk… and body talk all together.
In the article below, the author provides an example of how to take ‘looks’ out of the equation when speaking with little girls. It’s challenging (I mean, they really ARE cute sometimes), but if we truly want ‘looks’ not to matter, we need to stop emphasizing how important they are.
One of my favorite quotes. :)
Psst - If you’re still using a scale (I hate ”em, but they CAN be useful if you don’t assign the numbers more value than they deserve), why not make it a little more motivational? Use chalkboard paint on the surface & leave a piece of chalk nearby. You can write yourself a little loving reminder each time you step on. :)
Body Bash Fridays! Extra doses of body love & body love topics today. Share your body love story by submitting it here.
Today, I wanted to address an issue that’s not ONLY perpetuated by the images we see in the media, but also within the fitness world: fat phobia. Fat phobic thoughts (or behavior) run rampant on our blogs, sites, magazines, etc. Here on Tumblr, it’s enmeshed with messages of health, self-worth and self-loathing.
In this society, we absorb and internalize the message young: being fat is bad. Thin is good. Within the fitness world, we’ve added more layers: being fat is unhealthy, means you’re lazy and (consequently) is something you will (and should) be judged for.
You’ll often see ”motivational” messages (not on MY tumblr, but around) that push that same ideology. Common ones I see ”the pain of working out is better than the pain of being fat” or ”do it so you’ll be thin & happy” or ”do it for the stares & to make people jealous”.
What bothers me is that professionals, trained professionals, should know that being happy & healthy are not necessarily the by products of weight loss (they can be, but not always). You CAN be obese and healthy (just like you can be thin and very unhealthy). Health is determined by your body’s ability to do its job properly & efficiently. NOT by your pants size. Happy is determined by your attitude & mindset - many people get to their goal weights without learning to love their body OR being ”happy” with it.
While obesity is ONE factor that MAY indicate a higher risk for certain illnesses, it is NOT a disease on its own. Exercising & eating well (plus sleeping better, reducing your stress, taking care of yourself) are associated with improved health, regardless of whether or not you lose a single pound.
According to a 2009 study, 50% of little girls 3-to-6 think they’re fat.
What does it even mean when a 3-year-old thinks she’s “fat?” It may not have anything to do with BMI or conscious societal expectations, but children know it’s “bad….”
As Dr. Robyn Silverman summarized, the studies basically showed a few things:
1. “Thin means I want to play with you and fat means I don’t want you as a friend”;
2. “Thin means you’re nice and fat means you’re mean”;
3. “Thin means we prefer you.”Irrational? Yes — but not that far a cry from the fat-phobia adults express less-directly on a daily basis. What’s alarming is that it’s internalized so young.”
via Jezebel. http://jezebel.com/5795814/incredibly-young-children-think-theyre-fat
