Hi friends~
I was going to write about something else today, but this article got me – have you heard about the trending “Pilates Princess” vs “Muscle Mommy”?
My first thought was that the fashion (plus the “wellness” business) is going to capitalize on this like they always do.
Our literal physical forms are constantly exploited as trends. It’s not new, but this feels different and more insidious.
I’m mostly infuriated that women are still being put into boxes based upon a certain aesthetic – a particular body type, adhering to “trends”, and in this case a look based upon an exercise modality.
“Body positivity” was a message for a few years that seemed to mean you should accept your body no matter what. Plus-size representation meant inclusivity, high-fashion campaigns featured stretch marks and cellulite, runway models jiggled. Remember the Dove ads? The sense, fleetingly, was that thinness was no longer the only beautiful way to look.
Fat-phobia never really went away, even though it pretended to. The backlash was harsh. If you’re on fitness social media you’ve seen horrible comments aimed at larger women in that space. In fashion, plus-size models have noted that jobs are diminishing, and some are slimming down.
Thinness of the early 2000s has come surging back. Low-rise jeans, micro-minis, and baby tees, that demand thinness, are flooding the runways once again, and here come the skinny girls. Vogue Business reports a “worrying return to using extremely thin models”. Welcome back Kate Moss – heroin chic, god forbid, thigh gap, and of course, disordered eating.
I wrote a Thoughtbox article about Ozempic and similar drugs around the time that they hit the market. As result of using the drugs (initially intended for diabetics), women are reporting the negative effect of loss of muscle (even facial muscle), because the drugs reduce appetite, meaning not eating enough calories in general, particularly essential nutrients, namely protein.
The pendulum swings. Have you been seeing news and social media about Ilona Maher, the Olympic rugby star looking gorgeous, strutting the runway? She’s the best example of the result of training strength and mobility plus good nutrition and a great attitude, which are the building blocks of living your best life.
I advocate for body neutrality. Your body can do awesome things, get strong, go fast, be powerful, and so damn bad ass – and there is no singular way it should look. Take care of the body you have, which might mean doing hard things, like critiquing your nutrition, or adding an element of challenging movement to the day/week. Even remembering to drink more water and going to bed earlier can be hard.
Let’s swing the pendulum to the middle. Let’s do the work to achieve a strong body, with muscles that enable us to do all the fun things, even improve brain function and longevity. Size shouldn’t matter if your body is strong and healthy and you feel good. Do BOTH strength training and Pilates! Do the swimsuit or shorts you choose to wear feel good, and enable you to move around and have fun?
I’ll pass on the low-rise jeans and baby tees because I’m 72…uh oh, revealing a hangup with my aging body. The mirror and camera tell the truth. Every summer I notice a few more crinkly bits. I’m resolving to try to let go of the negativity because the gifts of life have brought me to this age – and evidence of years and years of activity and joy with 6 kids and 15 grandkids, and so much sun exposure every summer hanging out at pools and beaches.
I admit it’s hard not to want to retake photo if I enlarge it and see too many wrinkles. GAH . Banish the negative thoughts – or retake the photo? Do you enlarge photos to inspect every detail like I do?
Can I ignore the constant barrage of ads for products promoting age-defying products (I am targeted for sure)?
I’m a work in progress. How about you?
What’s a thing you want to let go of this summer? Any beliefs or tendencies that might hold you back from loving your body?
I’d love to know!
x
Polli
