When I was younger I wanted to be an American Gladiator. They were super fit, super strong women who could complete incredible feats of strength and agility. All of that didn’t impress me as much as how ripped they were! Yes, I loved bodybuilding – up until I did a show and got smart! What I learned from doing a few bodybuilding shows was that the entire scene was a socially justifiable eating disorder. Honest. There is no other circumstance where you would ever advise someone to cut calories to 1000/day, restrict water, and workout twice/day for weeks or months at a time. Today, that would be considered excessive by any definition. However, in the 90’s – this was bodybuilding. The dieting aspect has changed some, but the scene is still about a “look” vs health.
A client recently asked me if I’d ever do another show. Without hesitation, NO. I love my body! I didn’t always, but I do now at 45 years old. However, I know there are many people who do not love their body. When I was bodybuilding, I would say I had a distorted body image! What I thought about how I looked and how I actually looked were vastly different. After all, I was being judged by how tight my skin was, how many crinkles the judges could see, how symmetrical my muscles were, and how feminine I looked – all at the same time. Pressure? Just enough to wonderfully mess with your mind!
Society teaches us that we have value as a human based on how we look. This is called body currency. If we meet society’s ideal image for a woman (or man), they we can obtain love, success, and value. Really? This is so wrong on so many levels. Our value is NOT based on how we look! If you know me, you know that I passionately reject this and support all bodies and this notion of body currency truly pisses me off.
Thinking that you are only of value based on how you look is ridiculous! This type of thinking promotes a distorted body image, negative self talk, poor self esteem, and a host of other issues. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, “Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind.” Did you know that
- 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies?
- only 5% of women have the “socially accepted” body size portrayed in the media?
- the more reality TV someone watches, the more likely that will place their value in their appearance?
- more than 40% of women and 20% of men surveyed would consider cosmetic surgery to change their appearance?
- only 10% of people with an eating disorder will seek out help?
Why do I tell you this? Because as much information that is out there about loving who you are, the message isn’t sinking in. The rate of eating disorders, poor self esteem, and body image issues remains unchanged. If anything, more issues are arising because of social media and unrealistic ideals. On a positive note, the voice of body positivity is getting louder! Body positivity is a social movement that believes that all humans have a right to a positive body image and should accept their bodies and others. If you stop to think about all that your body can do, it’s quite amazing. Think about pregnancy – your human body has the ability to create and grow another human being; all organs, bones, muscles, a brain, eyeballs, etc -your body makes them all! Forget pregnancy, think about all the things your body does without your control; regulating your temperature, breathing (!), adjusting your heart rate, controlling hormones, digesting your food, going to the bathroom, etc. It’s an incredible machine that deserves our love rather than shame.
You can be more body positive by showing your body and yourself more love. I know, easier said than done when you are bombarded with images of what you’re “supposed” to look like. Believe me, I live in the world of spandex so I get it. However, I am encouraged that things will change in the future. Currently, there is a movement among several professional fitness women to sift through their social media feed and delete/block the negative body images/accounts that follow them. If you want to make a change in how we view our bodies, then be a voice for change. You can be more body positive by following these steps.
We all have a right to love ourselves, experience our true value, and embrace the gift of life that we’ve been given. Whatever your ideal for your body is, should be your ideal – not the one society tells you is worthy. You ARE worthy.