Learning body positivity one day at a time

Combatting the harmful effects of media on our bodies

MARIA SIMPSON / ASST. OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Hi. My name is Maria Simpson. I write stories for The USD Vista almost every week, but today I wanted to share a more personal story about finding self love and battling the harms of fitness and beauty influencers. The fact of the matter is, when not practiced in a healthy way, both physically and mentally, fitness influencers and workout culture can be toxic and can have long-lasting effects.

I first began to fall under the influence of fitness and beauty media in high school. I started becoming more conscious of my body and appearance. Thoughts of working out, eating healthier, and striving to look a certain way were often at the back of my mind. I could hear that little voice pestering me, telling me that I needed to look more like the girls I saw on magazines and my newly created Instagram account.

Those high school years flew by. Before I knew it, it was already my last semester. Everything was going well until March 2020 (and we all know how that story goes). No prom, no graduation, no district or state tournaments, no last chance to say goodbye to my high school friends and teachers before closing that chapter of my life. 

When quarantine began, I immediately hated staying locked up day in and day out. This was a terrifying and depressing time, and little did I know, it was the perfect opportunity for that old pestering voice to resurface. 

Staying at home, I began to allow that voice to come out. I started paying more and more attention to my body, hating the way that I looked. This was also when fitness influencer, Chloe Ting’s “Get Abs in 2 Weeks!” YouTube workout soared to popularity through TikTok and, like many other young women, I became obsessed. I had to have that perfectly flat and toned stomach. After all, she made it look so simple in the videos. Just ten minutes a day and I could be perfect, too.

Of course, that simple 10-minute routine was like a gateway drug to so much more. The fortress in my mind had been destroyed, allowing this falsified lifestyle to totally ensnare me. I found more of Ting’s videos and decided that I needed to go all-in to construct that sculpted “Barbie-like” body. I also started a habit of becoming concerned with what I was eating, and hated myself whenever I was not eating as clean as the YouTube fitness guru did. How else could I expect myself to look like her? How else could I expect myself to look beautiful?

Those kinds of scam fitness videos rarely ever work. And if there is any visible change, it is temporary. Influencers like Ting give the impression that their workouts are effective and will quickly restore any body to its “perfect form” when, in reality, no 10-minute workout is going to provide real lasting results. This puts the idea in young women’s minds that there is something wrong with them because they are the ones without those toned abs and flat stomach. When my body showed no change, I was so angry. But not at Chloe Ting or TikTok or any other form of media; I was angry at myself. I felt like I was not doing enough. It was almost impossible to see through a rational lens and recognize that I was not the problem. 

I was very fortunate during this time to have a friend who was struggling in a very similar way. I was able to confide in her when no one else even knew what was going on inside my mind, and, likewise, she confided in me and I encouraged her to care for and love herself.

I cannot remember the exact moment that it hit me, but I know that, eventually, I came to the realization that if I could tell my friend to take proper care of herself and I could fully believe that she was perfect exactly as she was, then why couldn’t I say those same things to myself? 

I started to seek out body positivity activists on social media, instead of only looking at deceiving workout routines and picture-perfect models and influencers that we are berated with across media platforms. I worked to change my mindset about my body and self-love. This is not an easy task, and it is still a work-in-progress even now, over a year and a half later. I still have bad days where I look at myself and wish that I was thinner or taller or shaped differently in some way. And that struggle is completely normal. But I also have a lot more good days where I look into the mirror, smile at my reflection, and tell myself that I am beautiful. I have also built a better relationship with fitness. Now, I don’t search for workouts or head to the gym so that I can lose weight. I workout to stay healthy and to get stronger.  

To anyone else reading this who also finds themselves comparing how they look to those around them or the models on social media; remember that your body does so much work for you every single day. Even just eating or sleeping is a miraculous feat of life. It deserves love. And I know it is difficult to stop comparing and to stay away from the temptation of quick fitness and beauty tips. 

Luckily, there are many women out there who are dedicated to sharing true body positivity and educating people that everyone’s version of “healthy” looks different. No two people are alike and you cannot measure yourself worth with a scale. 

Believe me when I say that you are created perfectly exactly how you are right now, and no YouTube video or model influencer can ever take that away from you.