”BIKINI DIET TIPS: it’s not too late! Stars share simple tricks to tone up fast.”
I’m going to keep this one short and sweet. This type of magazine cover is not something I am a fan of.
It is one small piece of evidence and one small, yet impactful micro-agressor that demonstrates just how much we are taught to believe that we should change, push, and stress our bodies in order to be happy, confident, and socially acceptable.
Logically, however, when all societal factors are stripped away, it is much easier to simply love the body we have been given, nourish it with real and whole foods, move it in ways that we like, and know that we are absolutely perfect and how we’re meant to be the way that we are right now. This is not knowledge that the media and big fitness companies teach us — because if they did, they would risk losing clients and money. Thus, it makes sense why it can be really hard for us to learn self-love and acceptance. This is one of the reasons why I love Fit U so much — it empowers students and graduates alike to exercise and eat healthy, but also to love and be proud of themselves.
Because ANY company, program, or magazine that tries to promote that we need to change and, for women, “tone up” and become smaller in order to look and feel good in our bodies is upsetting.
I think we have all grown with these types of influences, and while the positive body image movement is growing, factors like these magazines are still popular and are affecting girls & women across the world.
I know it can be really challenging to do — more often in the summertime, but even now as some may be headed off for winter, family/beach vacations, I encourage all of us to practice self-love, whether that be in the form of feeding our bodies delicious and healthy food, exercising however we enjoy, saying daily mantras like, “I totally accept myself”, or getting rid of societal pressures, such as these types of media outlets, that try to tell us that we are not good enough the way that we are and that we should “tone up”.
First of all, as Steph Gaudreau says, ‘toning is for printers’. Not people.
Second, you are a gorgeous, healthy, breathing, exercising, eating, and glorious person, right here, right now.
Now excuse me while I go eat a bunch of chocolate (dear Alter Eco, your stuff is DELISH) and throw out this magazine.
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