Oh my goodness I'm 100% certain that the devil created "thinspiration"- how much more detrimental to our bodies can we be if we are more focused on being thin than on being healthy. Thin is a socially constructed ideal- thin is not a size, it is not a health goal- it is an unobtainable goal because no matter how hard you work out, how much paleo/organic/juice cleanse diets you try someone will always be skinnier than you. And guess what- it could be natural skinniness or it could be caused by a deadly eating disorder.
This may seem like a kind of out of the blue rant but it isn't, don't worry- I have always been this crazy. This is something that has been simmering under the surface for quite sometime and it was either my .9mile run or the 3rd piece of pizza that's causing it to come out.
Really this whole thing started with Pinterest I was looking on Pinterest because I like looking at things, I like food and clothes and pictures of pretty things and places. I even have a fitness board- do I use it? Well... maybe I've tried one thing a couple times but for the most part, nope. That is probably my most wasted board. I actually stopped pinning to it because it was turning into something that caused me shame. My fitness board was causing me to shame my own body. It would go something like this:
this one's kind of a doozy- click through if you love me :)
Oh hey look at this great new exercise- it only takes 10 minutes. I SHOULD DO IT!
didn't happen
Oh look at this new exercise- I could really use that. PINNING IT, DOING IT!
didn't do it
Hey an exercise that will help me loose all of my fat in 3 weeks and that girl doing the exercise looks amazing!!
didn't do that either
I want to look like that girl in the picture what exercise is that
I DIDN'T DO ANY OF THEM!!!
And did you see what happened. I went from wanting to improve my health to hating my body. To wanting my body to look like a girl who is paid to be skinny and work out AND was in an image with word photoshopped next to her so chances are she was photoshopped too.
I hated my body and I hated that I never did those Pinterest exercises. I still don't love my body but I'm working on that. I'll get to that later.
What really sparked this rant was looking at my Pinterest feed- I saw at least 2 "thinspo" pins that were titled "5 moves to banish back fat" and "Bikini Mama Body Challenge- Loose the pooch". Do you know what the problem with those is???? IT OBJECTIFIES YOUR BODY!!!! It defines your self worth based on your lack of back fat or lack of "pooch" not on what your body can do. It turns your wonderful, amazing, and blessing of a body into an ornament, only meant to be looked at, when your body is actually a tool- a means of doing wonderful things- something to be used not just placed in a room for decor.
Had these "pins" been titled "strengthen your back muscles with these 5 moves" or "increase core strength and stability" I really wouldn't have much of a problem with it. Working out is not bad- I obviously am trying to get into better shape but that is because I'm working with my body to make it healthier and to really push it to it's full potential. In order to start loving my body again I am trying to use my body not shame it. I'm allowing my body to show me what it can do and it truly amazes me. When I was trying to loose weight or get skinny I was constantly battling my body and getting frustrated with it not responding. Now that I'm working with my body to make it healthier I'm not so ashamed.
Can we stop doing "thins"? Can we stop glorifying "thin"? Can we just overall want to be healthy and improve our bodies instead of forcing them into society's ideal? Can we focus on the strength and not the getting rid of fat?
Below is a picture from 4th of July morning when we ran the freedom run. My goal was to run the 1st mile and guess what I did it! Not only did I run the 1st mile but I ran a little bit extra- but only because I wasn't sure if the but 1 sign meant 1st mile or 1st km- big difference. My body can do amazing things and it took getting OFF thinspo to realize that. Also I'm apparently trying to show you that I don't care what I look like in pictures because I look like pregnant sleepwalker here-- yes I am still a little vain and body shame-y but focusing on the big picture that after this was taken my body did not disappoint me at all.
This may seem like a kind of out of the blue rant but it isn't, don't worry- I have always been this crazy. This is something that has been simmering under the surface for quite sometime and it was either my .9mile run or the 3rd piece of pizza that's causing it to come out.
Really this whole thing started with Pinterest I was looking on Pinterest because I like looking at things, I like food and clothes and pictures of pretty things and places. I even have a fitness board- do I use it? Well... maybe I've tried one thing a couple times but for the most part, nope. That is probably my most wasted board. I actually stopped pinning to it because it was turning into something that caused me shame. My fitness board was causing me to shame my own body. It would go something like this:
this one's kind of a doozy- click through if you love me :)
Oh hey look at this great new exercise- it only takes 10 minutes. I SHOULD DO IT!
didn't happen
Oh look at this new exercise- I could really use that. PINNING IT, DOING IT!
didn't do it
Hey an exercise that will help me loose all of my fat in 3 weeks and that girl doing the exercise looks amazing!!
didn't do that either
I want to look like that girl in the picture what exercise is that
I DIDN'T DO ANY OF THEM!!!
And did you see what happened. I went from wanting to improve my health to hating my body. To wanting my body to look like a girl who is paid to be skinny and work out AND was in an image with word photoshopped next to her so chances are she was photoshopped too.
I hated my body and I hated that I never did those Pinterest exercises. I still don't love my body but I'm working on that. I'll get to that later.
What really sparked this rant was looking at my Pinterest feed- I saw at least 2 "thinspo" pins that were titled "5 moves to banish back fat" and "Bikini Mama Body Challenge- Loose the pooch". Do you know what the problem with those is???? IT OBJECTIFIES YOUR BODY!!!! It defines your self worth based on your lack of back fat or lack of "pooch" not on what your body can do. It turns your wonderful, amazing, and blessing of a body into an ornament, only meant to be looked at, when your body is actually a tool- a means of doing wonderful things- something to be used not just placed in a room for decor.
Had these "pins" been titled "strengthen your back muscles with these 5 moves" or "increase core strength and stability" I really wouldn't have much of a problem with it. Working out is not bad- I obviously am trying to get into better shape but that is because I'm working with my body to make it healthier and to really push it to it's full potential. In order to start loving my body again I am trying to use my body not shame it. I'm allowing my body to show me what it can do and it truly amazes me. When I was trying to loose weight or get skinny I was constantly battling my body and getting frustrated with it not responding. Now that I'm working with my body to make it healthier I'm not so ashamed.
Can we stop doing "thins"? Can we stop glorifying "thin"? Can we just overall want to be healthy and improve our bodies instead of forcing them into society's ideal? Can we focus on the strength and not the getting rid of fat?
Below is a picture from 4th of July morning when we ran the freedom run. My goal was to run the 1st mile and guess what I did it! Not only did I run the 1st mile but I ran a little bit extra- but only because I wasn't sure if the but 1 sign meant 1st mile or 1st km- big difference. My body can do amazing things and it took getting OFF thinspo to realize that. Also I'm apparently trying to show you that I don't care what I look like in pictures because I look like pregnant sleepwalker here-- yes I am still a little vain and body shame-y but focusing on the big picture that after this was taken my body did not disappoint me at all.
I think most, if not all women in our culture aspire to thinness the same way perfectionists aspire to be perfect~ as if perfection actually exists as an absolute. Many adults have still not accepted these two concepts and are still attempting to reach their unobtainable goals. For you to have this realization at a young age, puts you way ahead. So, others can and will look to you for inspiration and may finally realize that they are fine and beautiful just the way that they are. You Go, Girl!
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