Want to Start Feeling Better About Yourself Right Now?

jean kilbourne photo

Back in April, which feels like a million years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one my personal sheroes - Jean Kilbourne, when she came to speak at a YWCA fundraiser luncheon.  She presented one of her signature talks on women's portrayal in advertising.  I had seen this on video before, but it was wonderful to be able to stalk-ishly introduce myself and I even got to chat with her a bit about body image in the fitness space.

I urge you to check out this brief trailer of her work:

It is incredibly challenging but necessary to remind ourselves to question, and even laugh at, the advertising images that bombard us.  They are designed to make us feel like we're not enough so that we will BUY STUFF!

Every time I look at an ad, I think, What is this ad trying to say?

The answer is usually insulting/preposterous, depending on your point of view.  Take this one for example, which I pass by many mornings on my way to class in Boston's Financial District.  It's for an upscale nightclub and pictures a grown woman dressed as Red Riding Hood as a man looks on in the background.  I've seen this thing in magazines, plastered on buses, etc...

red riding hood

What is the message here?  "Come to this bar, where men are wolves, and women are prey?"  Other than the attractiveness of the models, what exactly is "Red Hot" about this?  Maybe I'm missing something?  WTF?? Honestly people...

I wish we could just block it all out, the onslaught of images selling intentionally unattainable perfection, the demoralizing messages -- but that's not happening any time soon!  For now we'll just have to keep on reminding ourselves not to get sucked in.

Jean Kilbourne has written several books, I plan to start reading her latest soon.

Boot Camp Reflection 1: The Long, Hard Look in the Mirror

Note: The strategies I used during this little "bootcamp" do not accurately reflect my current habits. I'm learning all the time. I recommended reading more recent posts from the Body Love category to stay up to date!

Oh the DRAMA of this post title!  Sorry, but I wanted to get your attention...

It has been about 6 weeks since I entered into this holiday recovery cycle, which I named Operation Beach Boot Camp, and by the time you're reading this, I'll be on the beach!  I wanted to report back about my results, while sharing a few musings along the way.

The plan I set out to tackle (in addition to my teaching schedule) was:

Exercise:

• Cardio 5 x week
• Mind Body Class 2 x week
• Pull-up training daily
• Aerials once a week

Nutrition:

• Commit to eating 3 meals a day plus a couple snacks
• Drink lots of water
• Have salad/dark green veggies every day
• Limit grains to 1-2 servings per day
• Eat lean protein every day
• Eat so many vegetables I can hardly stand it

My intentions for this plan were to shed extra holiday weight, to re-establish good habits, to feel my best, and to increase my overall physical fitness and performance.

But as soon as I would mention my plan to others, I started getting strange looks.  "Really??" friends would ask.  "Why would you want to lose weight??"

I hadn't expected this reaction and it caused me to pause and reflect.  Were my goals somehow unhealthy?  Was I setting a bad example for my students/readers by sharing? Does my desire to make my fit body even fitter indicate some kind of dysfunction?  I took time to consider this.

Being in this business, I am surrounded by people of elite fitness levels.  This being the case, I would say I hold myself to a higher standard of physical fitness than I would if I worked, say, in an office somewhere.

The thing is, do we ask a marathon-runner WHY?? she would ever want to train her body for a 26.2 mile run?  There is no real need for this skill, unless we find ourselves in some kind of zombie apocalypse where the only option is to flee on foot.  But ask the runner, or any other athlete and they will tell you: There is satisfaction in taking on a physical challenge and completing it.

I never meant to achieve anything unhealthy, simply to maximize my own fitness level.  There were plenty of times I deviated from the plan because it felt wiser to do so, including putting my feet up when I was out of energy or fighting off a cold.

Do I have healthy body image?  Like most women in our culture, I would say probably not. I'm sure I spend way more energy than is necessary or practical thinking about how I look.  Who knows how I could better serve this planet if I could just stop giving a shit about my hair, or how I will look in a bikini on vacation.  But like most other mortals, I want to look good.

My intention for sharing my journey with you all was twofold:

1) I wanted to hold myself accountable for staying the course by putting my goals out there and

2) I wanted to offer support and encouragement to my readers and students as a fellow human, a real person who has to work at making healthy choices every day.

To those who looked at me sideways and made me question my motives: THANK YOU!  I consider it a contribution and as a feminist, a teacher, a fitness professional, and a mother, I'm all for a little self-reflection to keep me in check.

When I chose to title this blog Fit Feminist, I deliberately put a name to the role in which I find myself daily.  I hold myself responsible for encouraging and celebrating fitness and healthy living, while remaining conscious not to contribute to a cultural/media environment that has people (especially women) feeling awful about themselves based on how they look.

My hope is that the things I share on my blog help to inspire others and lift them up, not bring them down.

Coming in Part 2 of this post, I'll look at what worked well over the last 6 weeks and what helpful insights I gained that might benefit you on your own wellness journey.

Thanks for letting me get all that off my chest!  More to come soon...