MFP article photos depressing

I receive MFP articles in my email. Often these articles are accompanied by photos of very thin models. Workout photos are of advanced athletes; photos that supposedly depict average MFP users use models who have reached the height of physical fitness and beauty. That certainly isn't me. I am an average, middle-aged woman in need of motivation and inspiration to make healthy choices. These photos feel like they are rubbing my face in the kind body type I can never achieve. Today I saw an article about managing morning chaos. The seated model that we see from behind appears to be very tall and maybe a size 2 or 4. Why? Can we never see a healthy woman that is more in line with the body type of a typical MFP user? I'm pretty sure none of the models featured ever used MFP or faced the struggles that we are trying to overcome. These photos do the opposite of inspiring/ motivating me. They depress me and kind of make me want to give up. No matter how much success I achieve, I can never look like these women. If MFP suggests these reflect how users should look, then I'm in the wrong place. :-(

Replies

123stefania

I know I feel the same way. It DOESNT reflect the average user, ''they'' try to sell a image of healthy. Dont let that discourage you. I love to read success stories in the 'community board' and messages from the support and motivation too. Make goal that are suited for YOU!

julie2038

Don't let an article and picture derail you. You have to do this for you. Even if I lose all the weight I want, I will never be a model. That was not what I was meant to do. This mental shift in my weight loss journey is huge. I'm doing this for me! To feel good about me! You need this for you. To feel better about you.

novasunflower

emdeesea

Yeah, but that's with any form of advertisement, isn't it? Almost everything uses generic stock photos so generally any photo you see for ANYTHING will be of an attractive and fit man or woman. It's just marketing. Don't worry about it. Do this for you. Trust me, I'm a middle aged woman too and I'm never going to be in the genetic 1% either, but that's not going to stop me from being the best that I can be.

BestWishesForYou

But photos have everything to do with it. Why should MFP pair a motivational article with a photo that I have to ignore in order not to be "derailed?"

BestWishesForYou

Novasunflower, I'm not sure how I should interpret your response.

BestWishesForYou

I'd like to show you examples, but I can't figure out how to enable photos in the app.

BestWishesForYou

I understand the argument for advertisements. These are not advertisements. These are MFP's deliberate choices to accompany motivation articles. I really think they need to rethink this in their editorial policies. I would send a post directly to them but I could not find an appropriate place.

singingflutelady

@Arbeej I agree there should be a wider variety of people featured but I disagree that just because someone is thin they don't struggle or work hard. "Naturally thin" really doesn't exist much. Most people you see who are thin, especially models, work their butts off just as much as overweight people to maintain that weight. I get accused of being lucky and naturally thin when in fact I count calories, don't overeat, am very active and work hard at the gym.

BestWishesForYou

Take a look at the plug from February 15, 2016. It's a great article. And the opening paragraph clearly shows that the target is someone like me: it mentions grandchildren and the joy of fitting into an old dress. Take a look at the featured photograph. She's a very young, highly muscled athlete stretching before a run.

A featured photo is what draws us into an article. It's supposed to reflect how an article applies to us, why we should read it. The featured photo is an invitation. These photos suggest I'm not worthy of being invited.

BestWishesForYou

Singingflutelady, I don't mean to imply that athletes don't struggle. The strength and determination it takes to achieve these muscled bodies is beyond my greatest capabilities. I merely mean that an athlete's struggles are different from the struggles of MFP users who are similar to me.

Wysewoman53

I was born with the genetics of having 'curves'. I have hips, a waistline and breasts. When I was young, Twiggy was all the rage...for those who don't know who Twiggy is, just Google her...so I always felt out of place and never 'skinny' enough no matter which current fad diet I was on. I struggled with my weight and 'look' my entire life and it affected my whole self esteem for more years than I like to count. No matter how little I weighed at different times, it was never good enough. Before I started MFP, I was in the obese range...still am but much closer to a healthier weight now thanks to MFP...and I had pretty much just given up since I was a 62 yr old grandmother and my husband loves me no matter what. Grandmothers are supposed to be 'fluffy and soft', right? One morning, after I had visited the emergency room with a dislocated shoulder, something just clicked! What I was doing to my body simply was not healthy and as with everything we do, what I was doing to myself was a choice! I don't look at pictures of models anymore and when I see skinny, fit celebrities, I know they are that way because they have full-time trainers and chefs to help them look the way they do. Anybody could look the way models and celebs do if given the same opportunities and had the same genetics. Now, I am doing what I do for me for the first time in my life! Not for my husband, not for my children, not for my grandchildren...only myself. I still struggle with the 'way I look' but I am fitting into smaller clothes now, feel better about what I have accomplished and keep working towards my personal goals...not what someone else has decided is the 'perfect look' for me. If the pictures of models in the motivational articles are creating doubt for you, then how 'motivational' can they be?

BestWishesForYou

Wysewoman53, you are a wise woman indeed. :-)

emdeesea

Okay I went back and looked at the article you mentioned on 2/15.

The very first line of that article starts with this sentence: "Think about what triggered your weight-loss journey."

So clearly this was not necessarily GEARED towards us middle aged ladies. It's for ANYONE. You might also argue that a photo of a young woman is not an appropriate photo for any guy who might be reading the article, but that's not necessarily the case because the very first sentence is the target audience - anyone who is on a weight loss journey.

You sound like you're kind of taking this stuff a little personally and I wonder why. The photo is not meant to exclude you or anyone, for that matter.

Wysewoman53

ldashburn

Before it was bought by Under Armour, MFP was all about the average person/user. Since the buyout, it seems to be just a giant advertising engine for them to pitch their products and their "professional" opinions. Of course they can't pitch there stuff if the models don't represent their idea of fitness and beauty.

abelcat1

Ohh waow HappyCampr1. Very nice result.

sunnybeaches105

So looking at fit people depresses you? Nice.

BestWishesForYou

Happycampr1, now THAT is truly inspiring! Congrats on your hard work paying off in spades!!!

BestWishesForYou

Idashburn, that explains it. I'm sure you are right about that.

BestWishesForYou

Sunnybeaches105, no need for the snark. I'm sure you understand my point. Fit is what I WANT to see. What's being depicted is, as I said, advanced athletes and ultra-thin models. That's not typical of MFP users, and certainly not motivating for new users such as myself.

And as in the example I listed above, the images often don't even match the motivating articles. Look at some of the articles specifically directed at fitness beginners, and you will see the same type of photos of ADVANCED athletes.

There is a serious disconnect here which the editorial board should consider.

zoeysasha37

Well here's the thing- just because you don't like it doesn't mean that everyone will dislike it. All types of marketing and advertising use fit females as click bait so people read their article.
It sounds like your taking it personally and you shouldn't.
I unsubscribed to mfp emails and blogs because they are useless to me . so if you don't like what you are seeing, just click unsubscribe. But the cold hard facts are that even if you unsubscribe to mfp emails, you will surely still see this type of marketing or advertising elsewhere.

coreyreichle

So, MFP should use pictures of people not in good physical shape, to show people what their goals should be?

I love seeing the pics of what I'm aiming for. That's encouraging. Show me what I am already would make me think,"All done now!"

coreyreichle

ldashburn wrote: »

if the models don't represent their idea of fitness and beauty.

You mean what is generally considered as "physically fit"... Should they use models who are morbidly obese? Wouldn't that put the message out that we should just accept obesity?

BestWishesForYou

Thorsmom01, Thank you for your input. The community forum is helpful as a sounding board and I appreciate your opinion. You are right in that I should not take it personally and that I can unsubscribe to the emails at any time. It's a shame about the emails though, as the articles themselves can be very helpful.

I realize not everyone will agree with me, and I do not expect that. I am putting forth a point of view that I have not seen here before. If many/any posters feel the same way, we likely would have previously seen this complaint.

As for being exposed to these types of images in marketing and advertising elsewhere – – well, of course. ;-)

But informative articles written for the benefit of already-signed-up members should not be treated as marketing or advertising. The articles are part of the service. While no one article can appeal to every user, it would be nice to see an inclusive range of images to reflect a variety of members. I've read a number of the blog entries and have yet to see a model that breaks the mold.

BestWishesForYou

coreyreichle wrote: »

So, MFP should use pictures of people not in good physical shape, to show people what their goals should be?

I love seeing the pics of what I'm aiming for. That's encouraging. Show me what I am already would make me think,"All done now!"

Corey, I completely agree with your second paragraph. You speak for me there. :-)

As for the first paragraph, that is in no way what I am suggesting. If you fully read the original post, you would have seen this question: "Can we never see a healthy woman that is more in line with the body type of a typical MFP user?"

Perhaps the fault is mine in not stressing that strongly enough -- but I did specify "HEALTHY WOMAN." There are HEALTHY WOMEN here of a variety of ages and body types. It would be nice to see some of them, too.

BestWishesForYou

coreyreichle wrote: »

ldashburn wrote: »

if the models don't represent their idea of fitness and beauty.

You mean what is generally considered as "physically fit"... Should they use models who are morbidly obese? Wouldn't that put the message out that we should just accept obesity?

Seriously? That's what you took away from my post?

Please read my response to your first post--and please don't misrepresent the original post.

sunnybeaches105

Arbeej wrote: »

Sunnybeaches105, no need for the snark. I'm sure you understand my point. Fit is what I WANT to see. What's being depicted is, as I said, advanced athletes and ultra-thin models. That's not typical of MFP users, and certainly not motivating for new users such as myself.

And as in the example I listed above, the images often don't even match the motivating articles. Look at some of the articles specifically directed at fitness beginners, and you will see the same type of photos of ADVANCED athletes.

There is a serious disconnect here which the editorial board should consider.

No need to complain about fit models either. I find fit models and atheletes motivating. I'll add that I think people's impression of what is "thin" or "in shape" have been seriously skewed over the last 20 years and not in the direction you are saying.

arditarose

Why is a size 2 or 4 not healthy? Why do you assume everyone using MFP is not fit? Some people use this app to GAIN weight. Some are very fit and use it to track calories/macros and stay on track.

Some people are motivated by fit models. Some are not. There's nothing wrong with it either way. But if seeing a normal sized woman in an ad makes you feel so depressed...I don't know. I'm sorry, I don't understand.

BestWishesForYou

Putting aside the issue of motivation and body image, and simply to make an analogy of inclusiveness:

Pretend that the service is specifically for citizens of California and New York. ALL of the photos, though, are of New Yorkers, even for the articles about Californians. Would that make sense? Might some of the Californians begin to feel a little left out? Maybe wonder if they are in the right place? Wouldn't a Californian appreciate it if every once in a while, there was a picture of one of them?

Silly analogy, I know, but I'm having trouble trying to express my meaning.