“I’m No Longer Trying to be Airbrushed in Real Life”… So take THAT Shape Magazine

September 1, 2012 General Interest

Blast

Burn

Sculpt

Flatten

Tone

Tighten

Shrink

Change

Drop

Lose

Banish

Zap

Kick

Firm

Better

Perfect

I did a google image search for Shape magazine. And the words above grace the cover. Read through the list. Think of those words being directed at you and your body. Think of those words being directed at your friend and her body. How do you feel?

In my opinion, media is our culture’s most powerful medium for shaping womens’ views and expectations of themselves. Media is the measuring stick that facilitates self-criticism and hurtful comparisons with one another. We are reduced to a litany of BARBARIC terms (excuse me- burn, blast, and banish?!) and hate ourselves for never getting it right. We begin to see ourselves as a body, something for looking at. And as a result our minds become limited, our creativity stunted, and capacities under-utilized because we are so busy counting calories and hating ourselves. Ladies, THIS. IS. CRAZY.

This post was inspired by a client who said to me yesterday “I’m no longer trying to be air brushed in real life.” How’s that for a declaration?

I want to hear yours! It could sound like….

  • I’m human, I’m meant to get hungry.
  • I’m not flawed if a 1200 calorie diet plan leaves me hungry and unsatisfied.
  • My energy is precious and cannot be depleted by self-hate.
  • I can’t be happy if I’m pursuing something I am not.
What is your declaration?

7 comments

  1. AMEN to that! Can’t tell you how many times I have flipped through a magazine at the gym and instead of getting those happy endorphins going and praising myself for being healthy and working out… I feel horrible because don’t look like an airbrushed

    supermodel in a bikini on the cover! When will society learn!

  2. Yay, I always feel empowered when I read your blog posts that talk back to the media’s negative messages towards women!!! And I LOVE your client’s declaration!!! My declaration: I deserve to take up space in this world- physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

    I love this quote: “You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking.”- Marianne Williamson. Whether or not one believes in a higher power, I think this quote makes a powerful point- there is

    no need to ever stifle one’s physical and emotional presence, passions, and voice- each one of us, when we live authentically and do not try to “shrink” ourselves in any way, is an asset to the world.

  3. Someone said this to me years ago and I still remember it: “You don’t need to earn food.”

  4. A good friend of mine is in the movie/television industry and receives a lot of attention for her appearance. A defining moment for me occurred when I was in college. She and I were at another friend’s house, and she was eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese.

    It came up in conversation that we had seen her bikini-clad body on the cover of Maxim magazine that week. She paused mid-bite and laughed. “That is SO not my body.” In the depths of my ED, it was a real wake-up call that what I had been hearing for so long

    (and not really believing) was in fact true. My friend is a gorgeous girl with a lot of confidence, and she pointed out all of the parts of her body that had been altered for the magazine cover. And I can tell you that her natural body (jeans, tee-shirt, Kraft

    mac and cheese) is far more beautiful than the tanned, airbrushed, almost -naked sex symbol that graced that magazine cover. I recently stumbled across a Seventeen “Fitness” magazine. I was (and am) appalled that a magazine would market their diet/exercise

    crap to already vulnerable pre-teens. My declaration is: “DEFY!” Defy what society holds true. Defy what those magazines say is the “perfect” diet or the “solution” to your “problem areas”. Defy the voice in your head that tells you to work out longer, eat

    less than you need, and strive to fit into a size that is not meant for a woman. Defy the voice in your head that tells you that you are not enough. We teach our kids to be “good girls”….. maybe it’s time we try to teach them to be a bit more defiant. kara

  5. Thanks for your comments! To Ashley : Perhaps “society” will take notice if we stop buying their crap. Just a thought… To Jess: That quote is BEAUTIFUL. Thank you for sharing it. Love your declaration too. To Rachel: I agree wholeheartedly! Remember

    Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?!? To Kara: Thank you for sharing that personal story! And let us all DEFY!!!

  6. Lovely post Marci! My declaration: Enjoying food is a right not a privilege to be earned.

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