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Is bodybuilding bad for society, from a body positivity perspective?

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Replies

  • munsu852
    munsu852 Posts: 1 Member
    The thing about body positivity (IMO at least) is that you, yourself, should love yourself but society does not have to love you. Society has to accept you and not discriminate against you, yes, but society doesn't need to love you. I as a person have some things I find ugly and some I find beautiful (not only from an aesthetically point of view), those are my preferences so I should of course accept and respect everybody but I don't have to love them.

    To have "beauty", you need to have "ugly", like the yin and the yang, you can't have one without the other. Likewise, ideals have always existed in society. They fluctuated with the era and the place (remember how nerds used to be made fun of then they became an ideal like in the scene from the movie "21 jump street") but IMO they will always be a part of society.

    And remember: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (Animal Farm)
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    I haven't read any other replies, but here are my thoughts.
    I think that in general, bodybuilding can be a good thing when it comes to people improving their health. But as far as doing it only for aesthetics, I do think it can become negative for reasons that were brought up in that original debate.
    I haven't had any major struggles with body image. But if I'm being honest, I would probably have to say that concern with this was a factor (but not the only one) in my desire to build more muscle.
    I think though that it's hard for me to really say overall which way I would lean.
  • Fitness_with_John_
    Fitness_with_John_ Posts: 13 Member
    Personally, I believe unnatural body building perhaps can harm many people with the images of these huge bulky bodies that are unattainable at a natural level. But in my eyes natural body building (what I aspire to do) can be almost motivational in a way or help people aspiring to better themselves.

    Especially when you see athletes like Possiblepat or danny_getsfit get on stage competing at the highest level a natural athlete can go (especially when they were formerly overweight like myself), it’s inspiring. It shouldn’t make anyone feel bad about themselves as we all have the same goal every time we step into the gym, to get better.
  • BishopWankapin
    BishopWankapin Posts: 276 Member
    No.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    harneska wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I can't help but think this is more a personal issue for you than a philosophical debate you were having with someone?

    You said in your OP that you weren't sure what to think and were curious what we thought, but you seem pretty darn sure to me and very quick to just tell everyone we're wrong.

    Whether you want to believe it or not, there are many in this thread who struggled/struggle with body image, who have been obese, unhealthy, weak. Some have transformed themselves, some are still working on it. All for slightly different reasons and motives, I'd guess. We are all speaking from experience.

    The truth is I didn't agree with the person I was debating this with, but want more perspectives on it, and am trying to hold my opinion loosely enough to change my mind in the face of new info. If I came in here and said, hey guys, doesn't this seem wrong to you??? That would introduce a lot of bias. Instead, I'm trying to embody and defend their point of view for the sake of discussion and explore all the corners. My own experience with body positivity is incredibly limited -- I've always been athletic-looking, tall, and fit. For all of my adult life, I've loved my body. I love it incrementally more as I get fitter and see it as a kindness I'm doing to myself. I work at it but not nearly as hard as many people. I'm not a bodybuilder by definition, but aesthetics are definitely 50% of my motivation. But I'm willing to entertain the idea that I should re-examine the aesthetics part.

    A postmodernist take on bodybuilding?

    Don't bother. You cannot change the world - you simply are not that competent or that good. Change yourself - that is hard enough.
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
    IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »
    tbright1965 wrote: »
    harneska wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    You are the only one in control of if you feel inferior or not.
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Yeah, but it makes people feel better than having to accept responsibility for their own actions.

    That's kind of BS. In the end we're all in control of ourselves, but for person A's circumstances, maintaining that control may be 100x harder than for person B's circumstances. For example, let's say you were sexually abused as a child. The trauma you've experience from that may distort your body image in ways that you or I will never understand. Personal responsibility is only part of the equation, no matter how much you'd like to stick your head in the ground and pretend every success you've achieved came to you purely on merit. It seems worthwhile to value the fact that we all come from different places, and our environment and circumstances matter.

    I don't think anyone is pretending that their success is solely from merit.

    Success comes from overcoming obstacles. It just doesn't happen.

    One sure path to failure is to excuse not trying.

    Yes, one can be abused or raped. The successful person is the one who testifies against their abuser or rapist and doesn't let the perpetrator have power over them. I personally know a rape victim. She was the only one of a dozen or so victims willing to testify against her attacker. She chose to not let him win. The others remained victims.

    Bad things happen. They happen to all of us. What we do determines if we succeed or fail.

    Off topic. Not every victim wants to testify because many of them see it as a second trauma. You can't fault people for choosing what they feel is best for them.

    True, and something to consider, thanks.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I think discouraging exercise is bad for society.
    I agree, but I didn't think anyone was suggesting that people refrain from exercise in general.

  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    No. What is unhealthy is the obsession with looking a certain way regardless of health factors. Instead of focusing on health, too many focus on image. Many people forget that (with a few notable exceptions), most champion male bodybuilders are much shorter than the average male(~5'5"). And most female fashion models tend to be much taller (~6'). Height plays an enormous role in proportions, and these proportions are very difficult to attain for the average population.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    @harneska Are you focusing on "bodybuilding" or "body positivity"? Those are two different domains.

    I am confused how the work one person does or does not to achieve the present state of their body can be an 'othering' act. Please elucidate.
  • IHaveMyActTogether
    IHaveMyActTogether Posts: 945 Member
    wmd1979 wrote: »
    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I think discouraging exercise is bad for society.
    I agree, but I didn't think anyone was suggesting that people refrain from exercise in general.

    The suggestion was that people should not exercise at a certain level for aesthetic reasons for fear that others may be offended or feel bad about themselves. It shouldn't matter what the motivation for exercising is. If I lift for aesthetic reasons then that is my decision and if someone else has a problem with that then they are the one with an issue. Others have mentioned it throughout this thread, but most who train at a high level are not doing it for a singular reason. A person can want to become stronger and healthier as well as having aesthetic goals. Does this mean overweight people should not lose weight if they are doing it simply so they can look better to themselves? Should they worry about another overweight person getting offended if they work hard to put themselves in a healthy weight range? A lot of people feel much more confident and feel better about themselves when they do lose weight which only increases body positivity.

    I think this whole pointless debate comes down to envy. An overweight or obese person may become envious of someone else who has put in a lot of work to look the way they do. The person with the problem is the one who is envious and not the one who is the object of that envy. People need to quit worrying about what everyone else is doing and just focus on becoming the version of themselves that makes them the most happy(regardless of what that body type is).

    What he said.
  • aaricflex
    aaricflex Posts: 1 Member
    Absolutely not. Shaming anyone for any body type is the real problem.
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