Kelly Roberts, the host of a well-known running podcast, Run Selfie Repeat, recently published an article on her blog targeting the pathetic and innately sexist tactics utilized by numerous women’s health magazines to cultivate clicks. As she puts it, “publications are capitalizing on our fear of being fat,” as evidenced by the recent Shape Magazine’s header, “15 Habits That Will Make You Fatter In The Future,” which has since been removed from their site. I’ve noticed this myself, as well. I’ll be browsing Women’s Health and stumble upon an “article” attempting to shock women with the calorie counts of various foods, convincing them that these foods are the reason they’ve failed to lose weight. What’s even more distressing is the fact that this is only to come across an article centered around body-positivity no more than three scrolls down. These large publications are sending mixed-messages and subconsciously drilling the belief into young women that they must constantly be on a mission to drop pounds- and they’re using our insecurities to make a profit.
In recent years, spurred by the popular hashtag, #StrongNotSkinny, many women have begun focusing less on maintaining a thigh gap and achieving visible collarbones and more on the building of chiseled abs and strong glutes. While I do believe this is a step in the right direction and promotes a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle, it still seems to stem from the wrong place. The focus remains on our physique when it should be centered around our individual abilities. Strong doesn’t mean bulging biceps, it means achieving what you once deemed impossible for yourself. Strength can’t be captured and portrayed on the cover of a magazine, and yet we’ve been led to believe that it’s merely a “look” we should attempt to emulate. This is fueled by the multi-billion dollar weight loss industry that has negatively affected the way that we now view health and fitness. These large corporations want us to believe that we need to put our money towards green tea fat-burning pills and Kim K-inspired waist trainers in order to achieve an “acceptable” physique.
In a society where anyone who isn’t conventionally thin, tight, and toned is deemed “unhealthy” by magazine covers and social media posts, it’s only natural for the young and easily-influenced to go on to develop body-image issues later on in life. Force-fed images of what “health” looks like, we’ve lost sight of the true meaning. The result? Unhealthy relationships between diet and exercise, and in more severe cases, anorexia, bulimia, and exercise addiction.
In recent years, spurred by the popular hashtag, #StrongNotSkinny, many women have begun focusing less on maintaining a thigh gap and achieving visible collarbones and more on the building of chiseled abs and strong glutes. While I do believe this is a step in the right direction and promotes a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle, it still seems to stem from the wrong place. The focus remains on our physique when it should be centered around our individual abilities. Strong doesn’t mean bulging biceps, it means achieving what you once deemed impossible for yourself. Strength can’t be captured and portrayed on the cover of a magazine, and yet we’ve been led to believe that it’s merely a “look” we should attempt to emulate. This is fueled by the multi-billion dollar weight loss industry that has negatively affected the way that we now view health and fitness. These large corporations want us to believe that we need to put our money towards green tea fat-burning pills and Kim K-inspired waist trainers in order to achieve an “acceptable” physique.
In a society where anyone who isn’t conventionally thin, tight, and toned is deemed “unhealthy” by magazine covers and social media posts, it’s only natural for the young and easily-influenced to go on to develop body-image issues later on in life. Force-fed images of what “health” looks like, we’ve lost sight of the true meaning. The result? Unhealthy relationships between diet and exercise, and in more severe cases, anorexia, bulimia, and exercise addiction.