ShFIT Talk #13 - Body Image & Fitness

Some Fun Statistics

💎Women spend an average of 55 min to get ready

💎Women spend an average of $300K on makeup in their lifetime

💎Men spend an average of $175K on facial products in their lifetime

💎In 2019 Americans spent more than $16 billion on cosmetic plastic surgery and minimally - invasive procedures

💎In 2018 more than 1.8 million cosmetics surgical procedures were performed.

When we start our fitness journey, the one question we should all ask ourselves, REALLY ask ourselves is...who are we doing this for? So often what brings may people to the gym for the first time is not about themselves. I have heard so many times, "I am going to get in shape to show my ex". This may drive you to go to the gym, but as your anger fades, your drive will also fade, and your journey no longer clear laid out. If it is about revenge, or getting even, or showing someone up is it really your fitness journey? When we choose to start our fitness journey it is important to remember we are doing it for the most important person, ourselves.

The Theory of Objectification is when you are not treated as an actual human being with thoughts, ideas and feelings but instead you are treated as a body, collection of body parts or you are even seen as something that exists to make other people happy.

Sometimes when we are hitting the gym to "show someone else", we are not asking them to notice us as a human being, but as a collection of body parts, a collection that you are working at to make other people happy, not yourself.

Today, no matter where you look, beauty culture and body image ideas are being pushed into your face. These ideas affect both men and women, no one can seem to escape them. It is becoming a bigger and bigger issues thanks to the addition of social media not to mention the filters, Photoshop, and Instagram models. We comment, we talk, we gossip, we post about each other everywhere. We point out every flaw, we joke with our friends, but all the time reaffirming these negative ideas. These negative ideas that imperfection and flaws are wrong and if you have them, you are not and cannot be beautiful.

Let's be honest, how many of you tweeze, shave, tan, pluck, whiten, colour, treat. How many of us use make-up or elect surgery to meet what we perceive to be the idea image. I for one am just a guilty, I have my own facial skin regiment that I do every night before going to bed. 🤷🏾‍♀️

How many times have you been in a rush, running late to work maybe and you just didn't have the that time to spend on your hair or make-up only to receive comments like:

"Are you feeling ok?"

"You look sick?"

"You look tired?"

I heard my fair share of those comments when I worked in the corporate world and it would get under my skin.🤦🏾‍♀️

Why do we not feel good enough the way we are? We should all feel attractive and if you feel that you need to do something to make yourself feel attractive, make sure you are doing it for you and not for society. Not just so you can avoid comments at work, or the looks you will get on the street. This negative ideas and thoughts we put out towards people have consequences on us and on the younger generation growing up.

It has been proven that objectification and self objectification are linked to anxiety, depression and eating disorders, and is that really surprising? Our culture wants women (and men) to look beautify for them (for society), for society to look at and enjoy. But they do NOT want people to feel beautiful for themselves. Which is why people troll and hate. Why people make negative comments about peoples hair, cloths, face, lifestyle. But we are all flawed. No one is perfect. Even those models that you see in magazines or the movie stars on TV have been pampered, fluffed, and puffed by people, Photoshopped by experts and had every imperfection that could be removed. That is not reality, that is not what we should set as a standard.

It is ok to be flawed, and it is ok to be uncomfortable. Because to be flawed is human and to be human is to be beautiful. So if no one has told you yet today, you are beautiful and loved. Make your fitness journey for you, your health, your goals, your future and no one else. :-)