To think that "strong is the new skinny" is becoming a bit extreme?

[Namila]

I am not sure how to explain what I mean, but I'll try. Getting ready to be flamed as it often happens when discussing women's bodies.

In the last few years I noticed a new trend online among women, the "fit/strong is the new skinny" type of narrative. In theory I think that is an improvement and a positive change from the unhealthy trend of extreme skinniness we were stuck with for decades.

However, I can't help but thinking that the new "fit and muscular" trend is getting a bit over the top. It seems like now we should aspire to have huge, bodybuilder-style muscles now? We should strive to get a huge butt through never ending series of squats and weightlifting? Steel abs with not an inch of fat? Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest are full of this type of pics. I attached a couple to this thread just for reference!

It just seems a bit extreme to me. Of course a slim, healthy, active body is attractive, but I wonder why these trends always seem to get so extreme (e.g. super skinny, or super muscular, or super curvy Kardashian-style).

So AIBU to think that this trend is a bit much? Does anyone else share this view?

spare I view this as a major positive, - possibly the point? - of this trend i.e. there is no reason why muscles shouldn't be viewed as feminine.

I’m far more likely to gape at those quads lolloping around in a pair of hotpants than I am the herion-chic thighs of yesteryear.

www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/i-was-addicted-to-exercise-heres-how-to-spot-the-signs/

There are so many ever changing trends for how a woman’s body should look that it is quite irritating. I’d prefer muscly to skinny I suppose. But alas I’m fat and unfit, so

I think those pictures are really extreme (though of course they look great) because their bodies are only achievable with a massive amount of training.

That last picture in particular- her ass is so high, she must be doing an hour of squats a day!

My personal trainer friend does 4 hours plus a day, still not as well muscled as that (she pretty much solely uses weights with people)

I really enjoy lifting weights. Aiming to be strong and proud of what your body can do is a much better message than trying to be thin.

Tip I think there is also a distinction to be made between being active 5 times a week (walking, playing with dog, playing with DC at the park) and working out at the gym 5 times a week. While the former is easily achievable, the latter is quite of a demanding routine.

While the former is easily achievable, the latter is quite of a demanding routine.

Not necessarily, it depends on your working patterns and commitments. Not promoting exercising a lot in case it makes people feel inadequate seems a bit daft to me.

I agree thatstrong is a much healthier aim than skinny but it is equally open to unhealthy obsession.

Joint issues mean that weights are out for me - I can't even safely do most bodyweight exercises - but my body is never as good as when I have been preparing to move house. Weeks of intensive sorting, packing and cleaning have restored the biceps I've not seen for years. Obviously because we are designed to be active and even getting your 10000 steps per day, which I usually manage even when my knees are on fire and hips locking, isn't enough of the right sort of activity.

I don't think they look extreme. Yes, very fit and they probably put a lot of work in, but that's different. I'm very glad strong is 'in', for most people it's healthier to strive to be strong and build muscle than to be as skinny as possible.

Oh and exercising 5 days per week, especially if mixing weights and cardio, is also not extreme.

It's different yes OP but to be "fit" you need to do a lot more than 5 hours per week of playing with DC or walking the dog IMO. For me, running and some gym sessions is more easily achievable than the equivalent amount of exercise though being generally active would be.

It's only a couple of generations ago that most of us would have been doing hard physical labour all day everyday. We can't really believe that a daily 30 minute stroll is enough?

Saw a recent pic of Davina Mccall and thought she’d taken it too far. So I see what you mean

I think anything on Instagram which promotes extremes as ideals are wrong. There are a lot of women I see on Instagram that have picures with Tiny babies and washboard and, impying that it's easy to get back into shape after having a baby. They don't mention how many hours they spent training, who was looking after their baby while they were in the gym or their fitness levels beforehand. It puts unnecessary pressure on women at their most vulnerable.

Strength training offers so many great benefits to women!
Unlikely most of us will look like fitness insta celebs, just as few people who run will end up looking like Paula Radcliffe.

I’ve been lifting for a year and I bloody love it. It empowers me. I love getting stronger, and it’s all for me, not for a man or anyone else. As I’ve learned more, my goals have changed from general health and fitness, to ‘get strong as fuck and have quads of steel’

I just hate anything where only one body type is considered attractive, or to be the way we should all be striving to look. Why can't we all just look however we want to, ideally the way our bodies naturally want to be, and be happy with that? This trend is probably preferable to the waif like look, but it's still very exclusive, and 90% of people will never be able to achieve it.

shirley
It depends on what you are conditioned to find attractive

Personally, I find runners' bodies and most athletic bodies attractive. I personally think the sexiest curve on a woman is a well-defined hamstring but I appreciate I'm probably a minority!

I don't find generic skinny attractive in the same way as a body that looks functional and strong

I’ve just been trying to find a great article I read a while ago on this very topic. Basically - “strong is the new skinny” is bullshit. Women in these sorts of posts look strong, but they also have teeny tiny waists and conform to the feminine expectation of beauty (nice hair, make up, no sweat). The article I read linked to pictures of female weightlifters to make their point (google “super heavyweight Olympic weightlifters” to see what I mean). Those women are amazingly strong, and should be admired - yet somehow you never see them in the fitspiration Instagram posts? Now women not only need to be thin, but they need to be muscular as well!

I run four times a week, lift weights once a week and swim once a week. I have one day I rest. I don’t look fit or healthy!

I’ll drop one run for a second weights session in the spring but I’m marathon training.

I think the women in those pictures must do a lot more exercise than me.

I despair of getting a fit body type, mine just prefers to stay apple shaped with a very flabby (two big babies and a csection) overhang. I don’t know how to be fit, despite the fact that I do a lot of exercise.

I find these sort of pictures are a bit like magazine covers; fashionable but unobtainable to most ordinary people.

I think there has been some photoshopping in those pics

I've not seen the 'strong is the new skinny' posts, but have seen 'healthy is the new skinny' as promoted by Katie Wilcox. She promotes being healthy, whatever that means to you. Respecting your body, eating well (but not a strict attitude to food) and exercising to feel good in a fun way. At first I thought it was a bit insulting as some people aren't 'healthy' (chronic illnesses and suchlike) but actually she very much promotes a 'do. your best' mentality which is important.

A lot of overly strong/"fitspo" social media stars have an eating disorder history and periodically drop off the face of the earth having relapsed and realise that being "strong" was just the same as their eating disorder wanting to be "skinny" as it was a strong desire to look a certain way and punishing themselves when they didn't/couldn't see it.

These women on the pics are strong and skinny. I believe these pictures were taken at a certain time with slight dehydration etc, most body builders or athletes don't look like them all the time but carry some body fat.

I like the one 'lats are the new tits'. :-) (As my kids have eaten my boobs anyway.)

Women get judged for everything. Too fat, too skinny and now too muscular.

You know what should be the goal for women? To be happy and healthy, however that looks

If you saw those women dressed in every day clothes and not just finished working out you wouldn't even notice them.
They'd just look slim.

'Telling women how their bodies should look is the new...'

No nothing new here at all.

I think those women have amasing bodies but I can only imagine the excersise and food regime they must adhere to.

Personally I do like a very muscly physique on women and I do a lot of strength work myself. However, apart from the fact that those photos are almost certainly shopped, that sort of physique is not achievable without a huge amount of dedicated gym and nutrition work, and good genes to boot (the ability to build and sustain muscle is somewhat genetic). However, I'm glad this is becoming more mainstream so girls are not afraid of strength work. On the flip side, I'm not keen on the messaging which is basically "it's not enough to be skinny any more ladies, you now need to be jacked and skinny.", plus its still all about the aesthetic and not the ability - most of the worlds strongest women don't actually look like that because these models are body builders, not power lifters.