Hadn’t seen a fitness post that caught my attention lately, until this:
You’d think that, if someone was a fitness instructor, committed to helping others get in shape, he or she would not be a target for body shaming or cyber-bullying. You’d think that.
It’s actually quite the opposite. Blogilates founder Cassey Ho, who posts uplifting and inspirational messages to social media, is constantly bombarded with criticism about her body. Apparently, with popularity — and, in this case, over two million YouTube subscribers — comes a lot of hurtful feedback.
So, she decided to make a video — and not one of her usual instructional videos on squats or lunges. It’s about addressing the people who make others feel badly about the way they look.
In her “‘Perfect’ Body” video, which now has almost 1.3 million views on YouTube, Ho reads mean comments about herself, then Photoshops herself into what her followers want her to look like: a wider gap between her thighs, larger breasts, a “slimmer waist and a bigger butt.”
In a blog post, Ho elaborates on what inspired her to create the video:
When you look in the mirror, are you happy with what you see? Or do you stare at yourself, pinching your fat away, lifting up your butt, pushing in your boobs? It’s hard to be content with the shape of your body when people are constantly telling you how fat you are, how much weight you need to lose, how much weight you need to gain … what do people want? The body shaming, the mean comments, the cyber bullying — all of this messes with us … and it hurts.
She also posted the below, Photoshopped image of herself to Instagram to accompany the video:
And yet, while some people praised her for this photo, others continued to degrade her.
“What worries me is this: 1. That some people think this is real and that it should be ‘goals.’ 2. That some people still think it’s not good enough,” she wrote on another Instagram post.
Clearly, there’s still a tough road ahead in the battle against body shaming. But, with leaders like Ho, at least we’re getting somewhere.
It’s worth noting that Smashbox, a cosmetics company, sponsored this video. I’m wondering: Does that affect the way you see it?
h/t: Mind Body Green
Original post HERE
