Too Much "Skinny" Not Enough "Healthy".

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Tanisha1014
Tanisha1014 Posts: 34
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, so, I have a tumblr account and I search tags from time to time such as "fitspo", fitness, weight loss. I constantly see pictures of girls with their hip bones, rib cages and spine protruding from their bodies. It pisses me off because I know there are other girls out there looking at that and inspiring to look like those images. It's just crazy to me.. but that's not the point, just something I everyday that bothered me.

The MAIN topic for this post is really just that it's also crazy how Society (I hate using that term, reminds me of people who talk like they know everything) focuses Weight Loss WAY TOO MUCH on being Skinny rather than being Healthy. "Skinny Cow (contradiction btw) Ice Cream" "Skinny Girl Cocktails" "Skinny Recipes" "Skinny Water". I also play this game called "Biggest Loser" and I stopped my workout for a minute when I heard the character say "You want to be skinny or not". It's just.... Skinny and Fit are NOT the same thing. It's also annoying to see weight loss commercials be of SKINNY WOMEN complaining about wanting to lose even more weight. Wth is that? Not every skinny person is healthy, not every skinny person can run miles. It's so sad. You don't have to be skinny to be healthy. I just want to be healthy and comfortable. I just hope young girls, maybe even grown women realize the difference. I just hope this makes people think different about the things they're doing.
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Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    Not everyone has the same definition of skinny. Do I want to be skinny? Yes. Do I also want to be fit & strong? Yes. Maybe you equate skinny to hip bones & rib cages protruding but some people don't. When I think of those things, I think of unhealthy, underweight, etc. For some reason, the word skinny has a really bad stigma attached to it.
  • Tanisha1014
    Tanisha1014 Posts: 34
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    I mentioned two different things though. I said I see girls with hip bones and exposed rib cages claiming to be fit. Then I said the mainstream weight loss is about being skinny RATHER than being healthy. Healthy and fit aren't the same thing. I never said anything about skinny being a bad thing. I'm saying it's bad to assume everyone want's to be skinny.
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
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    I totally agree with you.
  • soontobeskinnysara
    soontobeskinnysara Posts: 177 Member
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    agreed! my headline on here is "fit, not thin" :)
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
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    i know what you mean.. i saw a special k commercial last night and the girl trying to lose weight was already so thin she looked anorexic.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    I know the pictures you mean on tumblr. I have a tumblr account as well, it just happens to be where I blog about my running... and many of those pictures just make me sad.. really sad.
  • _KatieKat
    _KatieKat Posts: 224
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    ...
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    Forget it.
  • Rosa1213
    Rosa1213 Posts: 456 Member
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    I agree with you that an unhealthy-looking body is not the best inspiration. Like those girls with protruding vertebrae and ribcages. Even if those girls are really healthy, most of us can't look like that unless we become unhealthy.

    I would like to be skinny, however, as well as healthy. Personally, I think it's possible for my body to achieve both simultaneously, because in my brain skinny doesn't equate to ribcages and vertebrae :)
  • londongirl2012
    londongirl2012 Posts: 151 Member
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    YES....Skinny is not Healthy in my opinion, being underweight can be worse for your health than being overweight and those with eating disorders have a mental disorder that is much more complex than just food. In my opinion health is the best reason to want to lose weight to lead a long, healthy life is far more appealing than to be 'skinny' and look good in clothes, yes thats 1 of the reasons but not my main reason. If I were heavier maybe I would see things differently, but health should be the main reason not vanity, and wanting to look like your fave celeb/singer!
    Perhaps with the Olympics on, more athletes should be role models rather than celebs. although these days the two are often sadly confused e.g. David Beckham... :/
  • thebzax
    thebzax Posts: 55 Member
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    i want to be slim, not skinny. i equate slim with health. skinny seems, to me, to be either a natural body state, or one achieved by eating less. to me skinny has no relation to whether someone is healthy, but slim makes me think of a healthy, fit body.

    maybe that's just me!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I've seen some outright scary stuff on Tumblr WRT diet and fitness. There's good stuff too, but too much potential for mindf*ck. I don't even look there anymore.
  • WendyFitMomCHANGED
    WendyFitMomCHANGED Posts: 311 Member
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    Agreed that everyone has their version of what "skinny" means to them, but I totally know what you mean about media's ideal of "skinny" and it's not a good image. I don't want to be media or celebrity skinny. I want to be fit and in a healthy weight and body fat range for me.
  • Tanisha1014
    Tanisha1014 Posts: 34
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    WAIT WAIT. I think you guys aren't understanding what I'm saying lol. I'm saying how skinny and healthy are not the same thing because not every skinny person is healthy and not every healthy person is skinny.. I'm saying the mainstream Weight loss industry pushes more of a "skinny" image rather than a healthy one.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Yeah. I hate it when people tell me how thin or skinny I am. I know I'm being a butt because they are really just giving me a compliment and I should take it, but my goal is to be and stay fit, not to be skinny. Ah well. I just smile and say thanks, but I know what you're saying. It's sad watching people, men and women alike, starving their bodies because of some image that is impossible to maintain.
  • 2012asv
    2012asv Posts: 702 Member
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    I see what you're saying, but the word "skinny" is just catchier for marketing purposes.... I don't think they are actually promoting anorexia and things like that. And when they show "thin" women I'm pretty sure they're trying to send a message of the outcome rather than the starting point.

    To me the word "skinny" is like the word "toning". Dont take it literally... its more of a generalization of an idea. I def. don't want to be skin & bones but i DO want to be thin and strong.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
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    Okay the hip bones showing is not a sign of "too skinny". I'm 5'7", I weigh 130 lbs and I take damned good care of myself. My hip bones stick out a little when I'm standing but pretty bad when I'm on my back. I even had a rude comment made to me at the pool not just a couple of weeks ago. It was an overweight kid telling me that I'm too skinny because my bones show. His overweight mother thought this was hilarious. There is nothing "too skinny" about me. Don't just assume that if you can see someones bone structure that they are unhealthy. In fact, go look at my pics. You will see my hip bones. Now look at my other pics of my arms and my back. Do I look unhealthy and too skinny to you? I think, as unfortunate and embarrassing as it is, that I have rather large hip bones for the rest of my frame. If I weighed 100 lbs at my height this would be a different story but that's not the case.

    PS. With my ribcage and hipbones showing I will tell you that I am fit :)

    This isn't an attack but an attempt to help you see that some things are as simple as bone structure and not as unhealthy as you think. Some girls are too thin and don't have either of those things showing.
  • Tanisha1014
    Tanisha1014 Posts: 34
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    Okay the hip bones showing is not a sign of "too skinny". I'm 5'7", I weigh 130 lbs and I take damned good care of myself. My hip bones stick out a little when I'm standing but pretty bad when I'm on my back. I even had a rude comment made to me at the pool not just a couple of weeks ago. It was an overweight kid telling me that I'm too skinny because my bones show. His overweight mother thought this was hilarious. There is nothing "too skinny" about me. Don't just assume that if you can see someones bone structure that they are unhealthy. In fact, go look at my pics. You will see my hip bones. Now look at my other pics of my arms and my back. Do I look unhealthy and too skinny to you? I think, as unfortunate and embarrassing as it is, that I have rather large hip bones for the rest of my frame. If I weighed 100 lbs at my height this would be a different story but that's not the case.

    I didn't say people with hip bones and other bones showing are unhealthy or too skinny. talked about how I see girls saying they want to lose so much weight to look like that. If your body was originally like that, that's fine. It's people who really crave to get down to that, ribs and all that puzzle me.
  • Tanisha1014
    Tanisha1014 Posts: 34
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    PLEASE make sure you read and understand 100% before getting offended. I see so many comments about things that I didn't even say.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
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    PLEASE make sure you read and understand 100% before getting offended. I see so many comments about things that I didn't even say.

    Read my entire post. I wasn't offended. I was trying to provide some insight that many people don't have. I'm not assuming you lack that insight but I know many do.

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