Working in the fitness industry has really opened my eyes to a mass of communities, lifestyles, and people I never even knew existed. It’s been a great experience for me, and I am constantly learning more and more about fitness and healthy living. Before getting involved with fitness, I had written several essays and took classes on women’s image and appearance, especially in media. I don’t claim to be an expert in women’s studies, but fitness is a really dense market where the words “image” and “healthy” are sometimes used interchangeably. The image of women in the fitness world seems to create a bit of friction between both people of the fitness world and those looking in.Often times on Twitter, I’ll see companies post photos of women with before and after pictures with an invitation to “click on the link to find out how she transformed.” The individual comments following the picture encompass an emotional roller coaster. Of course, for marketing purposes, the companies posting the photo want the second picture to look better and add elements like warmer lighting, tans, lip gloss and make up, different hairstyles, or maybe it’s just a difference of the subject smiling in the second photo.
Most of the time, I’m proud of the second photo-ers if I believe their transformation was tried and true. I love when people set a healthy goal for themselves to achieve and emit rays of confidence. In a way, it motivates me to keep reaching for my personal fitness goals and let’s face it: It’s incredibly inspiring. The problem social groups run into are the “already skinny” women getting even “skinnier.” I don’t like using the word “skinny” because it sounds like someone is describing an inanimate object, like a string bean or jeans. To prove my point, I went to my beloved thesaurus.com and typed in “skinny.”
The only word I like from this list to describe a woman’s body is the word “slender.” The rest sound unhealthy. So instead of using the word “skinny,” which is a physical attribute, we should start thinking about using the word “healthy” for everything it is. There isn’t a definite way to measure someone’s health by looking at them. Different heights, ages, and genetics are elements we cannot control that help determine a healthy weight, and yet, judging both “fat” and “skinny” people based on appearance is creating issues between fitness fans and body image campaigns. Nearly every photo on Women’s Health Now has comments both for and against the before/after post.
After a while, I started seeing the same posts over and over again:
“I liked the first photo better. :)”
“WOW, when will my body look like that?”
“What is wrong with the first photo?”
“When will women learn that muscles aren’t attractive?”
These comments all enraged me. Did the world of Twitter suddenly become certified doctors where they could dish out any suggestion they thought? It doesn’t matter whether someone is criticizing someone else for being too big or too little; it doesn’t matter if you’re defending fitness or self image. It’s still criticism of someone else’s body.
I decided the best solution for my raging would be to interview someone who underwent a transformation. She has been criticized for being too thin, judged for not eating enough, and has had an opportunity to share her story. She wishes to remain anonymous.
Here is her story:
What made you decide to start your weight loss/strength training?
I looked in the mirror one day and was just like, "Wow, I've really let myself go." It clicked and I just decided to change. To be honest, I thought about my boyfriend of three years now. He knew me at my thinnest in college and started dating me then (115lbs.) and stayed with me when I weighed 157lbs. and never said a word about me gaining weight in three years. His response to my saying "Oh my God, I got fat," was "What? I didn't even notice, besides I like your big butt. But if you want to lose weight I'll support you." He actually started lifting too.
What was your goal when you decided to do this?
I had a goal of -25lbs, just because I felt like I needed a number to strive for, but my real goal was just to be comfortable and happy with my body again.
What did you do to achieve this?
I got with a personal trainer who I did 3 months of workouts with, and she taught me how to be fit without playing a sport. Playing soccer my whole life trained me how to be fit by playing soccer, but I had no clue what I was doing in a gym when I gave up soccer after two years in college.How did you stay motivated?
My family helped me to stay motivated as well as my boyfriend. Every week I would take "progress pictures" which really helped because while I may lose 5lbs. one week, then only 2lbs. the next week, I could still see huge differences in the toning of my body.
Are you happy with your results?
I am very happy with my results now that I have dropped the weight I am working on gaining more muscle tone.
What has been your total weight loss?
38lbs. 157lb. start, 119lb. now.
What happens after you achieve your goal? Have you achieved it? Do you want to keep going or maintain what you have?
I've achieved and surpassed my goal. I work in a very physical environment for the time being which affects how much weight I have lost. I'm happy with where I am at but I want to build more muscle tone because I believe I look better with a little muscle rather than very thin muscle.
Did anyone criticize you for taking fitness too seriously or think you didn’t take it seriously enough?
Yes, people criticized me for even starting to take fitness seriously. They said I wouldn't stick to it, and it’s all just for show. They said I really wasn't doing anything behind the scenes when I would post pictures of healthy food. I just took what they were saying with a grain of salt and kept doing me. Getting into fitness is about what you want and not what other people say about you doing it.Do you think other people are influenced by social media and media to lose weight?
Very much so, and in a bad way, also. My posts about losing weight have been about getting to a place where I love myself and my body. Fitness for me is something where I can channel my stress and also get to a place where I like my body. I think social media pushes the "get thin" or "get fit" too much to where people think they have to be like that to be accepted. It’s about what you want. If you like being thick, more power to you. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you are healthy. If you want to be thin, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you are healthy. It should be all about loving YOURSELF!
Do you think exercise eventually becomes unhealthy? If so, at what point?
I think it can be if you don't eat enough and don't get the proper nutrients. I always tell myself, “Don't be obsessed with a number.” I actually had to step on a scale while answering these questions to get my total weight loss because I didn't even know off the top of my head. Like I said previously, my goal was to like my body, not get to a certain number.
What would you say to someone who criticized your body for being too thin/too fat?
I've been criticized for getting "too thin" and been told to "eat a burger or two." My only response is, “You're entitled to your wrong opinion. It's not your body that's 'too thin,' it's mine, per your WRONG opinion!” I'm healthy, I consume 1500+ calories a day, and I probably eat a burger 1-2 times a week, so shove off! (Plus chicken wings and beer on the Saturday & Thursday nights at karaoke night, so HA!)
If someone said to anyone that they were "too fat," I would point-blank tell them to F OFF. There is absolutely no point in bringing someone else's self-esteem down. That's what causes unhealthy weight loss or gain. Society pressures women to lose weight and, sadly, women are huge culprits of bringing other women down about their weight. I don't believe it’s anyone’s place besides a doctor's to tell someone they need to lose weight. It is only people's responsibility to be supportive of others on their fitness journey.
We’d love to know your thoughts and opinions. Feel free to share them with us!
Disclaimer: The photos are meant to be an exposure of the realities of harsh judgments on all sizes of women. We do not support the text in the photos, especially the last one where women are being compared to meat and men to dogs.
This entry was contributed by Shannon Bolen, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She recently graduated from Bowling Green State University in music education. She loves public libraries and Arvo Pärt.
