shame on you SHAPE magazine!

So I am finally entering the Strength Training Section
in my studies.

Now that I know the muscles, the body systems, physics I have not seen in high school, Newtons Laws of Motion, muscles and bones as levers etc.... I am finally able to move forward and begin learning actual exercises, proper form, muscles utilized, origins and insertions, etc etc etc.

So naturally as I am learning all the most common and classic moves, I start googling some different online fitness publications to see what some new work outs are, and which classic ones are still commonly shown etc. I visit Self magazine, Fitness magazine, Womens Health, and eventually Shape magazine.

I was HORRIFIED when I clicked on the 'Workouts' Tab on Shapes website. One of the first "workout options" that pop up in big letters in a picture of Natalie Portman and her "Black Swan Workout." THIS IS FUCKING INSANITY PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Here is an noteworthy excerpt, this is something Portman had to say about preparing for the physically demanding role of a prima ballerina:

"I was barely eating, I was working 16 hours a day," she said in an interview with the Daily Mail. "I was almost method acting without intending to. I do wonder now how people can do this kind of role when they have a family."

Natalie has previously talked about how she got so wrapped up in the role she thought she might die, and she spoke again about how hard it was to shake her character off-set.

"It was more difficult than anything I've ever experienced before," she told the Daily Mail. "I like to go home and be myself but with this one I didn't get the chance. It didn't leave me."

Costar Mila Kunis also lost tons of weight for the movie, getting down to only 95 pounds.

"I had no shape, no boobs, no ass," she told E! Online. "All you saw was bone. I was like, This looks gross."

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

ARE WE TEACHING OUR WOMEN

THAT THIS IS THE LOOK YOU WANT TO GO FOR

??????????????????????

I am not saying that Shape magazine was ever some wonderful amazing publication to begin with and I do not buy it regularly, although if the line at the grocery store is 2 people too long I may definitely throw one down or at least thumb through it to pass the time.

N O T A N Y M O R E.

We live in a society where women are taught that anything over a size 2 is fat and to be ashamed of. Waify models are big as ever (obviously not literally) and although I love fashion with no end in sight I do not support the emaciated look. It is what it is and I am not saying models of the world gain twenty pounds. I know that this mind set is years of abuse and so hard to change around. What I am saying is that it is appalling that Shape magazine a FUCKING FITNESS MAGAZINE ran this in their publication. Some total idiot wrote this, someone else then edited it and then it was checked and printed by a third party most likely. Ridiculous!

I adore Natalie Portman AND I enjoyed the film, but that is not the point here at ALL.

Portman is a professional actress. She makes millions of dollars to play the part, feel the part, and even look the part. The director asked her straight out before casting, how much weight can you lose without getting sick? She said she lost 20 lbs putting her at a grand total of 95 pounds which is NOT something any normal active person should ever aim for. Running articles that basically say without directly saying hey do these exercises in your living room and you too can look like a sad bag of bones just like Natalie Portman is beyond me.

We are all susceptible to this pressure to be thin,

to be pretty, to be smart, to be "successful."

To have good skin, to have shiny hair, to look presentable, to smile, etc.

We are exposed to it every fucking day, whether we want to be or not. It is everywhere you look. Online advertising, social media, newspapers, magazines, music videos, billboards and the list goes onnnn and on.

You cannot get away from it.

It is up to YOU as a human being with a brain in your head and feet in your shoes to know you can go in any direction you choose!!!!!!!!

You DO NOT have to be 100 lbs to look good, feel good etc. The most beautiful women in the world (to me) have wicked curves, and boobs and bums that are out of this world!!! I know we are not all genetically made to have those shapes either, but we can surely embrace a more natural look instead of striving to look like sickly dancers. Who in the world has the time or energy to do cardio from waking point til passing out point, because God only knows you would be in a horrid state by 'bed time.' I have a BIG love for film and also a big appreciation for dance and I am not making any general statements about either of the two.

I am simply saying that if actual magazines that are supposed to be geared towards putting women in good health, by giving you suggestions as to how stay active and be in a good state of mind, are printing things like that then shit has really hit the fan out there in crazy media land.

THINK FOR YOURSELF.

Eat food, stay active, enjoy life.

x

PS

In case I didn't get the point across to Shape Magazine - SHAME ON YOU!!!!

To me, this body makes me breathless!!! Wow wow wow.

And she's got meat AND muscle on top of her bones

AKA You can tell she eats :)

Ok so clearly this side by side photo is saying, "See? You don't have to be a size 0 to be pretty." But this too is confusing and misleading because again, this woman is not healthy either! Being able to say what is within a normal range is difficult but having an excess of fat covering your body and surrounding your internal organs can be just as dangerous and hazardous to your health as being underweight. Either way, you are not respecting your body or your heart which does the most important job of all! So eat, eat, eat but be mindful of your weight in the sense that gaining TOO much weight can be just as bad for you as being a too thin and malnutritioned. Obesity is the number one killer in the US, above smoking, other diseases, crime etc.

We need not flaunt this careless attitude either.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODIES!!!!!

So to be completely honest, I came across this photo, and I had to google this girl because I had no idea who she was. Turns out she has a big hit out right now and actually has a rip roaring set of vocal chords. She is cool to the extent that she is saying 'This is me, take it or leave it' but as a future trainer I must say that you don't look that bright making such a big statement like 'I hate exercise' while holding a cigarette in your hand. Exercise does not have to be being stuck on a treadmill while staring at the clock on the wall with an exasperated look on your face. It can be a walk in the park on a nice day, or a hike, or a bike ride or simply walking down the street to buy milk instead of hopping into your car. You don't have to either be a size 0 or hate and never do exercise and smoke and become a rock star instead. These are such extremes and certainly there are many other options in between.

The spectrum is wide and varied and you do not need to fit any mold other than the one you choose for yourself because it is right for YOU.

As we all know, Marilyn is said to be one of the most beautiful women in history and although I do believe her weight shifted a lot, she had curves and she looked damn good with them.

Dear Nike,

You do not need to tell me that it is okay that my butt has a shape, but it's okay that you do.

Love,

Camelia

If Barbies proportions were real,

she would be over 6 feet tall and about 100 lbs.

If this were real in a human,

she would not be able to menstruate

or hold her head up.

She would have to crawl on all fours because due to the

irrational measurements

of bust, to waist, to hips,

she would literally topple over.

2 words.

NOT. CUTE.

My baby toe hurts soooooooooooooooooooo bad.

It looks so alien-ish and jacked up it's freaking me out.

Pretty sure it is broken :(

Feeling a bit caged in the couch and

wishing Whole Foods did deliveries.

Missing work and dollars sucks and I can't go to the gym for a while :(

Grumpy and in pain. Still mad at Shape and have the time to sit here and rant about it because unfortunately I cannot do anything else right now.