We are going to hit you up with a two person post today, because we both have things we want to say about this topic.
I (Linda) was going through the VS website drooling over their adorable bikinis when I came across this image, and got real upset.
Okay I get it, we are all different shapes and sizes, some of us are thin, some of us have a lot of curves, some of us have no curves, doesn't matter, we are all females. This image however, it upset me. Why? Well it's not because this model is super svelt, it is Victoria's Secret after all, I get it, the models are thin and that is what is attractive to the brand and the fit of the bikinis, I'm over that. However, look a little closer. You can see where she had a shadow, that has been removed because the photoshopper was nipping her in further at the waist and gapping her thighs more, to emphasis what? Curvy-ness?
You know what this image emphasizes to me? It emphasizes why it is hard to be a teenage girl, why women say things like "omg I am so fat" and why everyone is looking towards the next best fad diet or cleanse to "get skinny". I am exhausted by it, it makes me angry, and sad, it makes me want to take all the teenage girls into my arms and hold them close and shelter their eyes from the world. It makes me want to follow my goddaughter around at all times just to make sure she never ever has to deal with bullying or "mean girls" or whatever. It makes me want to throw my desk up on itself and tell the fashion industry to fornicate itself...in nicer terms.
I sent this image to Megan, and her first response was "this is why we have the problem we have", and she is right and I agreed to the millionth degree, so much so that here we are ranting about it in a post.
I won't lie, sometimes I feel "fat", sometimes I nitpick myself, I do it, more than I should and people, like my husband for example, cant for the life of them understand why. My cellulite bothers me, but he doesn't even see it, like at all. I hate that my thighs rub together, he's never noticed that. My arms are flappy, but to him he sees nothing but a perfectly functioning arm. Okay maybe my husband is just a really good guy (he is), but it's also because he doesn't dwell on this stuff, because, well because he is a man. Us women, we are bombarded with these images that seep deep into our heads and sit there and burn into our brains and remind us "hey, you are imperfect". And we are, we are imperfect, we are all imperfect, so is this model, because someone thought it necessary to change her image to make her look SMALLER. WHY??? Why can't we be real about it. We are all different shapes and sizes and colours, why do we expect to fit into the same mold? Can we please stop it?
Can we please accept it and be imperfect?
I saw a post on instagram the other day, it said...
"You are not fat, you have fat.
You also have fingernails, you are not fingernails"
Heyyooo! So it's my turn (Megan).....I agree with EVERYTHING Lin says. I know everyone has a different take on what is "hott" and "skinny" and "fit", but instead of loving you for who you are, we are constantly bombarded with being smaller is being better. I can't go and buy a pair of jeans without having to look at a picture of a size 00 model wearing the pair that I want and making them look amazing and then grabbing my size 4's off the shelf and having a moment of self loathing in the dressing room. My husband asks me DAILY why I don't wear jeans and why I wear leggings alllllllll the time instead. Simple answer -- a) they are comf...lets be honest here and b) society today has given us such a warped sense of what we should look like it's uncomfortable to squeeze into them and realize they look NOTHING like what they looked like in the picture. I haven't bought a pair of jeans in 2 years. Not a single pair.
Okay so where am I getting at with this.....instead of focusing on how small you are, we should be focusing on how strong we are. I no longer focus on what my scale says, but instead on did I up my max today doing curls or did I PR on squats. I eat clean-ish for the most part, but I don't hold back. If I want something, I work it in my day. I am active, I workout almost every day. Once.... I trained to be a bikini competitor and the experience taught me a whole heck of a lot. I was unhealthy....starving....and when I quit training, I still wasn't near stage weight. I wasn't going down that path again. I love life and want to live it. Below are 3 pictures of my absolute idol -- Libby DiBiase. She is everything I strive to be....strong, healthy, fit, and beautiful.
Focus on strength. Focus on being healthy. Focus on being fit. Don't focus on fitting in to your size 0000000 jeans. I care about if I can run that distance. Can I row that 5000 meters? Can I lift that? I took a picture of myself the other day and sent it to Lin. I looked at it and realized, I am fit. Yes, I have abs. No, I'm not 100 lbs. I have quads that are defined. No, I'm not 110 lbs. I have arms that get noticed. No, I'm not 120 lbs. I'm 140 lbs. 140.3 to be exact....and I STILL wear the same clothes I wore when I starved myself down to 115lbs. Sure, I'm not going to be that stick thin waif walking around the beach, but I'm okay with that. I'm the only girl in my gyms weightlifting club. And I'm okay with that. You should be okay with yourself too!! Take your strengths and focus on them. Don't get caught up in society today. Be the best version of you that is possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment