A real woman in today's twisted world

Fit & Training door thijs

Nowadays we’re surrounded by the countless sixpack-selfies on Instagram, the perfect-shaped bubble butt on Pinterest and Facebook is also not very supportive with its unending amount of tips for the ‘perfect flat belly’. It seems as if the whole world is forcing us to be perfect. But what is perfect in today’s world? Does perfectness even has a certain definition? In today’s article we will discuss the latter and I will give you my point of view, which might differ somewhat from the perfect image we have in mind thanks to the online media. Because what if I tell you, you’re already pretty perfect right now, at this very moment? Trust me. You’re hot, darling.

‘What does a real woman look like anyway?’

Some time ago I found myself scrolling to some of Blogilates her old articles when I bumped into an article that was called ‘What does a real woman look like anyway?’. Immediately caught by the title of the article I started reading, the thought ‘You’re so damn right, Cassey.’ increasing every sentence I read further. Why this article intrigued me so much? Well, when Cassey uploaded some pictures of her two beautiful clothing line models, an incredible amount of negative comments overloaded her Instagram page. Many of her followers claimed that they were disappointed of the fact that she hadn’t used any ‘real women’ for her new clothing line. But what is a real women, in today’s twisted world, anyways?

Too skinny, too big

If you’re a bit skinnier then your friends, you’ll be named anorexic or someone that is acting too obsessive towards food. Are you somewhat heavier than the average girl, you immediately turn into the one that never does any sports nor moving at all, plus you’ll be likely spending your day at Mac Donalds all day. Sounds lame, but it’s the way people judge in real life. You might even unconsciously do it yourself as well! That’s why today we bring this subject under discussion. It’s time to stop judging. It’s time to start living.

Bubble butt, thigh gaps & abs

Whether you’re too skinny or too big according today’s standards, or even if your BMI is perfectly fine: it never seems to be enough. Here’s an example.

‘’Is your butt flat? You will obviously need to squat more. Do your thights touch each other? No way, you should work on that thigh gap girl! Is your belly not as flat as paper? Crunches, crunches and more crunches.’’

The above mentioned way of thinking sounds ridiculous when you read it like that, but it is the way the majority of society thinks right now. But what if you simply don’t have the body type to obtain some thight gaps? You can’t –even if you’d workout 24/7- switch from pear to hourglass. When will we switch our focus from dreaming about the body we want, to adoring the one we already have? That’s right. Right now.

A real woman in today's twisted world

Peanut butter doesn’t prejudge, so why should you?

It’s not that people always have the intention to judge, most often it goes unconsciously. We’re (and I’m speaking in WE-form here, since it applies to all of us!) not conscious of the fact that such a simple prejudgement can actually hurt someone. We forget to take into account that we know nothing about that person’s life, nor do we know from how far that person already might have come. Even though that girl you’re always staring at in the gym might be a little bit heavier than the average person, she is still kicking ass and overlapping everyone on the couch. She might even have lost tons of weight already, an achievement that requires more discipline and energy than you probably will ever have. Or what about that girl that just started running? No surprise that she’s sweating like an idiot, her head looks like a tomato and the last minutes she’s hardly moving forward. I’ve been there as well, can perfectly remember the first weeks of running and how hard they were. It’s especially during these times that we can use some support of each other, someone that keeps your back. We all have to start somewhere, and it’s especially the beginning period that requires loads of confidence and discipline to keep going. Keep that in mind, next time you’re about to prejudge someone.

Learn to love yourself

Feeling confident in your own body, regardless its shape, size or looks, that’s what it’s truly about. You don’t need a thigh gap, flat belly or bubble butt for that! The most important thing is to start learning to love yourself. Because if you won’t love your body as it is now, who says you’ll love it with some pounds less? Exactly. You are responsible for your own body. Better treat it with all the love and care you have, since you only have one.

Because in the end, that’s what it’s all about: being happy.

Love the journey.

Love,

Lau
www.runninglau.com