April 21, 2015

The Perfect Body

Hello, friends! I don't know if all of you are fitness junkies, but I follow a Pilates instructor, Cassey Ho, on her channel on YouTube called Blogilates. She posts fun workouts that target specific body areas that anyone can follow, so it's an easy way to get a bit of exercise when everything else is crazy busy. Anyway, Cassey posted a new video called The Perfect Body. I think it is a really good video because it targets all the problems that our society has created surrounding body image.


I was shocked when Cassey read comments that she received about being unqualified to be a fitness instructor due to her appearances. Well, I guess I wouldn't say I was shocked because I know how society functions. But I would say that the way society functions is truly saddening.

Society teaches us that what's on the outside is all that matters. Women are portrayed as body parts on the media to sell objects, and this has led to a lot of misconception about how bodies really are. There is a message that women need to have skinny torsos, a thigh gap, a shapely booty, toned arms, white teeth, bright eyes, and light skin. If you're a female who lifts weights and has bulky arms, thighs, and chest, you're looked at like a mutant. If you're a female who has a flat chest and butt, you're compared to a rail. Society looks for primarily one body type for women: skinny with curves in the right places. It is extremely rare for a woman to look like this without extensive physical training, diet, plastic surgery, and/or Photoshop.

Men also face some unrealistic expectations. We see all of these men with huge biceps and pecs, a chiseled jaw, and confident gaze. Well, not all guys are like this either. Men who are more sensitive and considerate are often mocked and are often called "gay." (But now we are opening a new can of worms that should be saved for another post.)

Some try to balance this problem of society out by promoting the "average" body type to be the new standard for beauty. Remember that "average" Barbie doll?

The way I see it, instead of telling people that everyone looks beautiful, why don't we realize that physical appearances don't matter?

Who ever said that a person needs to have a specific body type in order to succeed and excel in a certain career? Is there an optimal body that you must have in order to be a great friend, a father, a mother, a student?

There is so much more to you than what you look like. It's time to stop focusing on the surface and learn to find what is truly worth admiring in this life.

Smile on,
-smilesifyXO

8 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you. Society tells us that we need to look like the models in magazines or else we aren't deemed "beautiful" but honestly what is the definition to beauty, you know? What someone else considers beauty come be ugly to someone else.

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Imani! I really agree that beauty is a subjective thing that our society tends to objectify. Quite insightful :)

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  2. I know exactly what you mean, there is so much pressure these days to have the "perfect" body, even though this does not exist. Each person is an individual and therefore their bodies should be too, instead of fitting into this photoshop stereotype.
    Loved this post. :)

    -Lauren xoxo
    pretty-things-a-n-d-polka-dots.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Lauren! I am excited to check your blog out :)

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  3. Amazing post and so, so true! Boys and girls alike are under this insane pressure to have some perfect body that is basically unattainable for most of the population. But you're right: what we look like does /not/ matter. Our outward appearance can't restrain us from doing the important things, the /right/ things, unless we let it.
    Again, great post. :)


    Alexa
    thessalexa.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you Alexa! I think Cassey did such a great job with starting to promote positive body image--there is so much more to think about, but it's a start :) Have a great day!

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  4. There is so much pressure to be beautiful and to have the perfect body -especially for teens/young adults. It's the first thing people notice about you when you meet someone new, and it's insane that it's so important to so many people. Everyone's going on about abs and thigh gaps, and, sure, it's nice to have them, but they don't make you superior or better in any way.

    x Cloudy

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    1. So true, Yasmine! Our physical characteristics definitely don't define our worth as people :)

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