I've got other things on my mind today.
I quite enjoy this blog, and my own little
corner I have carved in the internet. I
have a great time writing about my running, my kids, and whatever may come to
mind. When I first started writing this
blog almost four years ago, I thought it was a great way for me to keep a
record of my own running antics, and it was fun to share it with others, if
they wished to read it.
I did some blogging for iRun back in 2012,
and that was fun too. It was funny to
think that people I didn’t know might be able to read what I had to say. The internet is tricky that way. People might/will be reading, even when you
are unaware of it.
As I have a running blog, I read other
running blogs (and other types of blogs too—I enjoy having a peek into the
perspectives of other people, even people I haven’t met). I have Facebook. I love Facebook. I love seeing photos, stories, and hearing
from friends and family when I otherwise might not get a chance.
I love seeing status updates like, “I
signed up for a 5k!” or, “Ran the Around the Bay this morning!” I love reading blog posts that include race
recaps. Detailed reports about each
mile, the venue, the weather...I soak it all up. If I haven’t been running, I want to live
vicariously! Race photos of my friends
holding a medal and a banana at the end of a race, photos of a beautiful trail
run, or even a more personal, private message involving a funny inside joke
from a training run/swim/bike ride are the reasons I would never be able to
give up social media. Although it doesn’t
replace a real-life connection to people, I really do enjoy it.
I am a teacher, and I spend my days with
teenagers. I feel very lucky to have a
job in which I can engage with young people through coaching and teaching. In many ways, they are sponges that are
absorbing and reacting to everything that happens around them. Much like my boys as toddlers, really. But with fancy cell phones and (a little)
more angst.
Yesterday I spent some time in a PD
(professional development) session, where we focused on social media and how
amazing it is a tool, and how scary it can be, especially for the young minds
we are shaping every day. I learned that perhaps I should take my
twitter account from the “egg” stage to actually trying a tweet (gulp). The session also got me to
thinking about the power that social media has on all of us.
This
got me thinking about how social media and the internet have the power to
inspire us, and perhaps do the opposite.
When I am training for an upcoming race, I
find myself reading as much as I can about it.
Training tips, obsessive checks of the race website, the weather, forums
on the race or event, and, my personal weakness, “race pace calculators” (I
love me a good pace calculator)! I find
myself pumped up and excited about the next challenge, and reading about it is
as exciting as the training itself.
But.
There are also lots of messages out there, masked as inspiration to help
“pump us up” that make me feel anxious and uneasy. These messages are a bit tricky. They are sneaky shaming messages that hide
behind the “inspirational” front. They
are of the “fitspiration” variety. And I
want them to go. away.
What is a “fitspirational” quote or
image? They have been around for a
while, and Pinterest and Instagram are often where they can be found. They do find their way to Facebook and
Twitter also. I really really do not
want to post any of these images here, as I feel that, even though I wouldn’t
be doing so in an inspirational context, it is not something I want to
post.
We’ve all seen them though,* and the
message is clear. Words like “Eat
Clean,” and “strong/strength” are common. The idea that we should feel guilt or regret by skipping a workout
or eating that non-restrictive food
is the message. That we are somehow weak if we allow ourselves to give in to
enjoying anything other than endorphins and pain to really feel like strong
women.
*Picture a
photo(shopped) image of a muscular, bikini-clad (young) woman, glistening with
sweat, in an athletic pose. Along with
the image is a quote. It is about being
strong. It is about working hard for
perfection. It is about having the willpower to refuse "bad" foods. It is about shaming us into
wanting that perfection, or feeling bad that we don’t want to work for that
perfection.
So, so tricky.
So, not what I (as a grown adult) want to
spend any time feeling anxious about. So, so not what I want any of the
precious teenagers that I spend time with, feeling badly about.
I know lots and lots of very fit
people. I know lots of people that live
a healthy lifestyle. I like to think of
myself as one of those people that (tries) to eat healthy foods, works hard
when I am running, and hopes that my children will be strong, healthy kids with
a positive outlook on exercise and healthy eating. I would argue that we all want to be healthy
and injury-free.
But messages in the form of “fitspiration”
are not helping anyone here. Seeing an
image, or powerful words that make me feel shamed for eating a donut, or shamed
because I didn’t sweat today isn’t helping anyone. It is just perpetuating the cycle of making
us feel guilty. For nothing.
Of course, I must state that this is my opinion. I feel strongly that motivation driven by
shame and guilt can be damaging (there is probably actual research out there to
back this up, but I am really just sharing how I feel here) to anyone that falls
into this cycle.
I think we should all take a second to
think about what is driving us to “share” or “pin” or “like” these messages on
social media. We should all take a
second to think about who might be viewing this. Who’s daughter or friend or sister is
looking? We don’t know for sure, do we?
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