I got in a fight...

I got in a cyber fight with the “Strong is the New Skinny” chick. I know. Stupid, right? Why post anything negative on the internet and Facebook? Lord knows you will get creamed by all of the followers who couldn’t hear your tone of voice…at least that’s what happened to me.

Here’s the story. “Strong is the New Skinny” or “SINS” is a saying that was created by a very smart and savvy lady. She sells t-shirts, posts information and has thousands of followers. Great slogan. Great philosophy. I wish I had thought of it.

On Facebook, she started posting “motivational” quotes that have pictures of hot, “strong,” sweaty women in them. At first, I ignored it. The comments that came after those pictures often included, “I want her….She is so hot…I want to look like her” etc. It was getting disturbing. After the umpteenth picture, I let it out. I posted that I was tired of seeing these dehydrated models on the page of a site that was supposed to be about the way a woman feels, not how she looks. Or was I wrong? Doesn’t the word “strong” refer to a physical attribute that can only be judged by performance while the word “skinny” is a physical attribute that can be judged by simply looking at a person? Isn’t one about performance and the other about looks?Anyway, long story short, I got kicked off of their Facebook page (keep in mind, I did not use curse words or say anything demeaning) and had a long host of Facebookers ream me for being “in a bad mood” and “jealous”. In addition, most people argued the fact that these models were dehydrated.

First, let me say, that the models were dehydrated. EVERY SINGLE fitness model does that before a shoot no matter how fit they are. That is undeniable. But what is worse is that it seems that I was the only one disturbed. In fact, most people were disturbed that I was disturbed.

So, here I am a few weeks later, still feeling the same way. I have never enjoyed how magazines, television and the media in general depict the perfect body. But what is bothering me today is that with the advent of CrossFit and the acceptance of a strong female figure becoming more the norm (thank God!), that image is also getting displayed out there as if it is the only way to look. All of the sudden, you see these greasy, toned bodies that let the world know, if you are going to be strong, you should look like this. The same movement that got women out of the “skinny” rut is putting them in a new rut to make them hate their bodies once again.

I am surrounded by a self-loathing world. I hear woman who are disgusted with their bodies every day. The same women that do all of the right things still hate themselves. They see these pictures of “perfect” bodies and in their minds, they just can’t add up. What they don’t know is that few people look like that in person. They are dehydrated, air brushed, tanned and manned. But whether we like it or not, these images are burned in our brain for us to compare ourselves to every day. We don’t even know we are doing it.

Well, no more. From now on, when I see those images, I am closing the magazine or turning off the computer. I am not buying the publications with them and I am not subscribing to fitness centers or working with trainers who value appearance over performance. It is great to look good. But I am going to be happy with the body that God gave me. I am doing the best with what I have and if that means that I don’t look like the chick posted on the “Strong is the New Skinny” page, then so be it. I will still be looking rockin’ hot in the latest SINS t-shirt!