Why is this even remotely controversial?

I am sure this has been said but, she's a fitness instructor right? She maybe has more time to devote to working out than somebody who doesn't work as a fitness instructor. Why can't she be proud of her achievements without worrying about other people's excuses? To me, it reads as unintentionally smug.

No, she isn't a fitness instructor.

"Fitness Expert"

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/mom-3-called-bully-excuse-fitness-photo-article-1.1487278

"Fitness instructor mom"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/hot-mom-defends-sexy-photo-facebook-hate-20585381

I thought that she was a former fitness instructor?

I have no idea what she actually is at this moment, but she obviously has a bit more going on with regard to the health and fitness/modeling industries than the average woman.

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

The article says she runs 2 elderly care home facilities. Plus she founded a non profit charity to promote kids fitness -

http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/

I am sure this has been said but, she's a fitness instructor right? She maybe has more time to devote to working out than somebody who doesn't work as a fitness instructor. Why can't she be proud of her achievements without worrying about other people's excuses? To me, it reads as unintentionally smug.

No, she isn't a fitness instructor.

"Fitness Expert"

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/mom-3-called-bully-excuse-fitness-photo-article-1.1487278

"Fitness instructor mom"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/hot-mom-defends-sexy-photo-facebook-hate-20585381

I thought that she was a former fitness instructor?

I have no idea what she actually is at this moment, but she obviously has a bit more going on with regard to the health and fitness/modeling industries than the average woman.

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

Not acknowledging in what? I missed where she said otherwise.

Actually she does acknowledge it here: http://www.mariakang.com/2012/10/15/maria-kangs-facs-frequently-asked-comments/

17) I hate images like this. It creates unrealistic expectations for mothers.

"Every woman is different and my intention was not to ask, “What’s your Excuse for not looking like me?” My intention was to imply, “What’s your Excuse for not exercising?” However you interpret the message is dependent on your emotional state when you read the caption.

I definitely agree that my results are not normal. At the same time, being ‘fit’ is no longer normal in society. 1/3 of Americans are obese and over half are overweight. So of course it’s not realistic for the ‘average’ person to be fit after pregnancy because usually they are not fit before pregnancy. If you take care of yourself, exercise and eat the correct foods, then my results can be normal for you too! There’s nothing wrong with being fit. It’s good for you, your family and your wallet towards the end of your life."

I am just saying that, as somebody who was in decent shape before I got pregnant , who came home after delivering her child weighing only 8 pounds more than I did before getting pregnant, these kinds of results aren't just from "not making excuses". She obviously has a special interest in health and fitness, which is GREAT. She should be completely proud of herself, I am just still not sure what that has to do with what other people and their excuses.

I am sure this has been said but, she's a fitness instructor right? She maybe has more time to devote to working out than somebody who doesn't work as a fitness instructor. Why can't she be proud of her achievements without worrying about other people's excuses? To me, it reads as unintentionally smug.

No, she isn't a fitness instructor.

"Fitness Expert"

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/mom-3-called-bully-excuse-fitness-photo-article-1.1487278

"Fitness instructor mom"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/hot-mom-defends-sexy-photo-facebook-hate-20585381

I thought that she was a former fitness instructor?

I have no idea what she actually is at this moment, but she obviously has a bit more going on with regard to the health and fitness/modeling industries than the average woman.

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

The article says she runs 2 elderly care home facilities. Plus she founded a non profit charity to promote kids fitness -

http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/

Which is my point, she has a particular interest in fitness. She was a model, fitness instructor, she has a charity for children's fitness. What anyone's excuse for not looking like her is that they don't have that type of interest/background.

There is another article that I posted where she talks about it and how she didn't mean "What is your excuse for not looking like me" I don't think she meant to be controversial. I am just saying that it can definitely be read as smug and kind of shaming if you just look at the picture itself. That is why it is controversial.

I am sure this has been said but, she's a fitness instructor right? She maybe has more time to devote to working out than somebody who doesn't work as a fitness instructor. Why can't she be proud of her achievements without worrying about other people's excuses? To me, it reads as unintentionally smug.

No, she isn't a fitness instructor.

"Fitness Expert"

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/mom-3-called-bully-excuse-fitness-photo-article-1.1487278

"Fitness instructor mom"

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/hot-mom-defends-sexy-photo-facebook-hate-20585381

I thought that she was a former fitness instructor?

I have no idea what she actually is at this moment, but she obviously has a bit more going on with regard to the health and fitness/modeling industries than the average woman.

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

I am not sure of the point here. Both of these women should be proud or themselves. I am sure both are intending to be inspirational -- I believe your picture is a bit more successful in that regard.

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

It's a three word meme (plus her web address and the children's ages), which was posted on her Facebook page. Anyone* who's on her Facebook page can peep at her "about" page and see that she's done some modeling and pageants about 10 years ago. And they'll see her before, during and after pictures, too.

* Anyone who doesn't get angry after looking at the photo for two seconds.

I have a blog and Facebook page myself. I don't post my entire life story on every image I upload. I'm currently blogging about my Halloween costumes, and how I did them. Do I need to post a disclaimer that I've been making costumes for about 30 years so people with less sewing and crafting skills don't feel bad?

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

It's a three word plus one web address meme, which was posted on her Facebook page. Anyone* who's on her Facebook page can peep at her "about" page and see that she's done some modeling and pageants about 10 years ago. And they'll see her before, during and after pictures, too.

* Anyone who doesn't get angry after looking at the photo for two seconds.

I have a blog and Facebook page myself. I don't post my entire life story on every image I upload. I'm currently blogging about my Halloween costumes, and how I did them. Do I need to post a disclaimer that I've been making costumes for about 30 years so people with less sewing and crafting skills don't feel bad?

Are you being interviewed by news outlets about your awesome costumes and you are kind of playing it off like you are a just a regular home crafter? She is less like that on her own FAQ page, which I have mentioned. I think the photo annoys people because they are seeing in a very specific context.

I am a full time working mom, I am in decent shape and I can definitely know when I've let myself get lazy and make excuses, but I think maybe she's not acknowledging that the shape she is in is ALSO part of her job. That's all.

It's a three word plus one web address meme, which was posted on her Facebook page. Anyone* who's on her Facebook page can peep at her "about" page and see that she's done some modeling and pageants about 10 years ago. And they'll see her before, during and after pictures, too.

* Anyone who doesn't get angry after looking at the photo for two seconds.

I have a blog and Facebook page myself. I don't post my entire life story on every image I upload. I'm currently blogging about my Halloween costumes, and how I did them. Do I need to post a disclaimer that I've been making costumes for about 30 years so people with less sewing and crafting skills don't feel bad?

Are you being interviewed by news outlets about your awesome costumes and you are kind of playing it off like you are a just a regular home crafter? She is less like that on her own FAQ page, which I have mentioned. I think the photo annoys people because they are seeing in a very specific context.

If I were, I would, because I am.

Her photo annoys people because it strikes a chord. Period.

In the same way, there's people who get inferiority complexes because they don't make rainbow pasta and muffins that look like bunnies like they see on Pinterest.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/11/pinterest-stress-moms-social-media_n_3253475.html

And much like Pinterest Stress, this pressure to be like Hot Mom is, in my opinion, completely self-inflicted.

Here's the thing: that poster is going to be pretty much universally offensive to any woman who is not familiar with the aggressive nature of motivational fitness posters.

Here's why.

I happen to be a really good cook. I mean really good. My family prefers that I make them food rather than eating out at nice restaurants. Friends always want my recipes and coworkers can't wait for Chile Verde day. The reason I am so good at is is because I love it. I love everything about food and its preparation. I have Thursdays off, and at least 60% of the day is spent in the kitchen making food, because it is my hobby and my idea of enjoyable time spent.

Now, I could make a poster with a delicious dinner that I just prepared and write "Wanna learn how to cook? You can do it!" or I can put the caption "What's your excuse?". The latter, could reasonably be perceived as giving the middle finger to all the moms who are making hamburger helper that day. It could be seen as an attempt to make people feel guilty because they find cooking to be drudgery and don't want to invest a sizable amount of their time to it. Not everyone enjoys cooking, and that's okay.

Now, the woman in this poster obviously takes a lot of time puts in a lot of effort on her body. Good for her, she looks great. I assume that fitness is a hobby for her based on her history. That does not mean that anyone who is not willing to spend the massive amount of energy required to look like a fitness model is failing at life or "making excuses".

You can be perfectly happy and healthy by being mindful of caloric input and by working out for 20 min a day in addition to playing with your kids or doing chores or whatever. For most people, the is perfectly fine, there is no need to push for more. For them, lifting weights is not their idea of a fun time. And that's okay.

Ahhh! someone with common sense! It is about choices, and we can all make our choices. But some people`s circumstances make the choices more difficult.

Sure, if I had a housekeeper, nanny, and cook, and did not have to work, I could choose to put in the HOURS per week that it would take to look like that. But I don`t, and so choosing to spend so much time at the gym would be detrimental to my family. So I do not choose to do it. I feel proud that I am able to fit in enough exercise to be healthy and that I have time to prepare healthy food for myself and my family and still have enough time to give to my sons to help with homework or watch them participate in their sports activities and have a bit of quality time with my husband. Right now, those things are more important than looking like a fitness model. Perhaps there will be time to train for that triathalon I want to do when the kids are out of the house. . .

Again, it is all about choices.

In, because this topic is interesting. And because now I want TigerBlue to cook for me.

I'm not offended, think she looks great, think the controversy is out of proportion, but also think she knew that by posting the message in a more confrontational way, she would get some hackles up. Kind of like Miley Cyrus but packaged in a much more polished presentation. I like how Tiger described it.

But again, if her audience is people looking to get inspired, then it probably worked and was positive. But if it's addressing the overweight Americans as a group that she references, then she should expect the backlash, because it's a bit MYOB. Someone else said that they don't know anyone obese with excuses, because the obese don't owe anyone an explanation. I like that, except that there are definitely obese people making excuses. Not to me, because it's true that they don't owe me an explanation, but to themselves.

To me, it's kind of like the offense people take to "clean" eaters. (And no, it's not just those who say you'll get cancer.) There's some offense taken when you an implication is made about how you are doing things when you didn't ask. But the other side of that is that we can't pretend like we don't need to do anything about the weight problem in this country. But then that comes back to whether or not the message hit home to the intended audience. If the majority of the people it speaks to are already fit, and offends the majority of those who are making excuses it failed to help the overweight Americans she mentions. If she wasn't trying to reach them, no problem. If she was speaking to the overweight Americans and doesn't care if it reaches them or not, then it comes back to MYOB.

Pretty neutral overall.

I do love the MFP fitspirations and remember seeing some with the kids. Those were meaningful, but they also usually involved doing something athletic. I wonder how this message would have gone over if she had posted a picture of her doing something active with the kids (playground, squats like someone else mentioned) and wrote, "No excuses." That's a bit more ambiguous and can be directed at herself or at the audience.

Here's the thing: that poster is going to be pretty much universally offensive to any woman who is not familiar with the aggressive nature of motivational fitness posters.

Here's why.

I happen to be a really good cook. I mean really good. My family prefers that I make them food rather than eating out at nice restaurants. Friends always want my recipes and coworkers can't wait for Chile Verde day. The reason I am so good at is is because I love it. I love everything about food and its preparation. I have Thursdays off, and at least 60% of the day is spent in the kitchen making food, because it is my hobby and my idea of enjoyable time spent.

Now, I could make a poster with a delicious dinner that I just prepared and write "Wanna learn how to cook? You can do it!" or I can put the caption "What's your excuse?". The latter, could reasonably be perceived as giving the middle finger to all the moms who are making hamburger helper that day. It could be seen as an attempt to make people feel guilty because they find cooking to be drudgery and don't want to invest a sizable amount of their time to it. Not everyone enjoys cooking, and that's okay.

Now, the woman in this poster obviously takes a lot of time puts in a lot of effort on her body. Good for her, she looks great. I assume that fitness is a hobby for her based on her history. That does not mean that anyone who is not willing to spend the massive amount of energy required to look like a fitness model is failing at life or "making excuses".

You can be perfectly happy and healthy by being mindful of caloric input and by working out for 20 min a day in addition to playing with your kids or doing chores or whatever. For most people, the is perfectly fine, there is no need to push for more. For them, lifting weights is not their idea of a fun time. And that's okay.

Ahhh! someone with common sense! It is about choices, and we can all make our choices. But some people`s circumstances make the choices more difficult.

Sure, if I had a housekeeper, nanny, and cook, and did not have to work, I could choose to put in the HOURS per week that it would take to look like that. But I don`t, and so choosing to spend so much time at the gym would be detrimental to my family. So I do not choose to do it. I feel proud that I am able to fit in enough exercise to be healthy and that I have time to prepare healthy food for myself and my family and still have enough time to give to my sons to help with homework or watch them participate in their sports activities and have a bit of quality time with my husband. Right now, those things are more important than looking like a fitness model. Perhaps there will be time to train for that triathalon I want to do when the kids are out of the house. . .

Again, it is all about choices.

You guys make a lot of assumptions about her life. She doesn't have a nanny and runs 2 non-fitness related businesses...and her husband is disabled.

But aside from her, if you muddle through the rest of the 40+ pages, you'll find parents (at least one of them a single parent) of 2-3 kids who manage just fine.

So....what's the excuse again?