Trigger Warning! While the theme of the post is body positivity, I used some very negative Thinspo and Fitspo pics as examples of what I think we should be fighting against, and they could definitely be triggering to some people. For the most part, these have an image that I found that seemed problematic to me in one way or another accompanied by an alternative that I find to be more positive. For the most part, the originals are in smaller boxes attached to the larger pictures that I took as alternatives. Apologies again to anyone who might have been triggered before I posted this. Love yourselves!
Quick note upfront: this post originally was interspersed within a review of the sports bra I am wearing in almost all of these pictures, which is the utterly fabulous comfortable-as-all-get-out Panache Sport Sports Bra, of which I currently have three and have two more on the way. Ultimately, the two aspects of the post didn’t come together and the memes I posted were getting all the focus, and the review wasn’t really as in depth as I would have liked in the first place. With that in mind, I took the review info out and am planning an upcoming rather extravagant and detailed review that will be entirely on the bra itself. In the meantime, I highly, highly recommend it to any larger-cupped lasses that want incredible comfort and support. Note the picture further down in the post in which I am upside down! No boobs hitting me in the face! In my size, this runs large (which is great, as it only goes up to an H cup), so I am wearing a 30H in all of these photos. Thanks, and please keep an eye out for the full review!
So recently I was given the opportunity to participate in Panache Lingerie’s campaign Support Every Move, and while I wasn’t able to be as active as I would have liked (I have been sick, as has MY WHOLE CITY OH GOD IT’S THE SICKPOCALYPSE), I followed along with the activities with interest. You can check out their Pinterest board for the campaign here or do a search for #supporteverymove to see what everyone has been up to. I was browsing the Pinterest board and some other places when I started to notice that not everyone was pinning such supportive material. Since individual users were allowed to pin to the boards, this wasn’t a reflection of Panache at all, and they took down the most snark-tastic pins when alerted to them. Still, it made me sad to see that when people were looking for motivation to get to a more healthy lifestyle, they were just as likely to come across images that shamed them and pressured them to go to extreme measures with diet and exercise as they were to find posts cheering them on. The sadness I was feeling (and the memories of having relied on just such imagery myself once upon a time, along with the self-loathing that they caused me to feel) inspired me to do what many others have done before me: create an alternative. I don’t think we could ever have too many alternatives to Thinspo and Pro-Ana memes that shame people into starving themselves to try to attain an unrealistic and unhealthy beauty aesthetic. I will happily post any reader submissions along these lines to the Facebrog and Tumbrog, and if I get enough, I’ll make a whole post about them here on The Brog. Let’s work towards body positivity and physical, mental, and emotional wellness together, Gentle Readers!
Only you can know what is the healthiest way for you to get to your fitness, weight, or wellness goals. Don’t let anyone bully you out of enjoying your life at the same time. How about some exercise AND a cookie? Or if cookies aren’t your thing, some other little treat? No single cookie is going to put you on the path to hell. Ignore the haters.
Half the time the people telling others that they don’t deserve something or haven’t worked hard enough didn’t even work for whatever it is themselves. Eff that noise. I’m not saying we shouldn’t work towards our goals, just that we shouldn’t judge other people’s amount of work or lack thereof by our own standards or by what we see when we look at them.
All the people who think that giving up diet soda and doing moderate exercise a few times a week will cause anyone to lose weight can go take a long walk on a short plank. Calories in < calories out is a great simplistic formula to hang on to when you want to bully someone, but the reality is that some people burn calories a lot more efficiently than others, and all sorts of factors cause this to fluctuate. Not to mention that your weight is NOBODY’S DAMN BUSINESS and all bodies are wonderful and beauty is both in the eye of the beholder and not the only measure of our worth. GAH. I get so ranty about this. Love All The Bodies!
Sidenote to readers: for any of you who are new here, body snark and shaming are not allowed on the brog at any time. If you try to say anything of that nature (and I will determine what constitutes “of that nature”) your comment will be deleted, and if you make another one, you will be banned. Do not try to pull that crap up in here. Not in my house.
Do what you want to do for you. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Seek your bliss, and spit in the eye of anyone who would have you do otherwise.
I am super well aware that this is probably so completely lacking in good form that it is painful to look at for actual yoga practitioners. Sorry guys. I couldn’t help myself.
P.S. There is no such thing as perfection, but you *are* so very special.
It is definitely one picture of what dedication looks like, and I applaud the subject’s clear devotion to maintaining her desired body type. However, there are only so many hours in the day, and while to some people devoting a great many of those to diet- and exercise-related activities is the choice that works best, to many of us, other activities are more meaningful or important or enjoyable or whatever else, and we dedicate ourselves to those things, all of which are beautiful. Even if it were just a matter of buckling down a bit to get everyone to society’s super narrow vision of what is attractive or acceptable, it would still be okay that some people just prefer to do otherwise. The diversity of human interests is one of my favorite things. What’s not so okay, to me at least, is how hyper-sexualized this picture is. It’s supposed to be of strength, but her muscles aren’t the focus of attention, and apparently only her body is of any worth; her head, and presumably who she is as a person, is disposable. Bleh.
NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM
Something I wanted to cover but didn’t get to was that there isn’t only one version of what is healthy, or beautiful, or strong. I hope to do some more of that in a future post.
Pushing through the pain can be good if it’s just the kind of pain that means you’re getting a good workout in, but ignoring pain entirely, as many fitspo posts espouse, can be really dangerous. Think of it this way: are you going to reach your goals if you have to stop working out for six months to heal and go through physical therapy? Listen to your body and take care of yourself.
And dang it, sometimes you just need a damn nap! Consistency is great when working towards goals, but you still get to have a life! There is always tomorrow; if you miss a day, just move on forwards and you’ll still be on track towards success.
*Note! I am a blogger writing about body positivity, not a doctor! None of this is intended to be medical advice, or even workout advice. The idea is just to provide an alternative attitude to what is out there already. Your body and specific health issues might necessitate something different (for example, if you are gluten intolerant, don’t just eat the cookie – check the ingredients first!), so please know yourself and ask a doctor about any and all specific exercise and dietary concerns. Thanks!
*****
Photography by David Eckert
Incredibly gracious help with making all the picture thingees into the wee hours of the morning by The Contrary Kiwi.