body image Archives - sweat once a day...

It’s Wednesday!

Wednesday is known for so many things.

It can be HUMP DAY – one of my favorites.

To a fashionista, it can be What I wore Wednesday.

To a foodie, it is What I ate Wednesday.

To photographers, it can be Wordless Wednesday.

To everyone who wants to celebrate amazing women, it is Woman Crush Wednesday, aka, #WCW!

Last Wednesday, I posted this picture on my Instagram.

This is Misty Copeland and she is my WCW. The hashtag in the photo is #Strengthisbeautiful and I couldn’t agree more. Misty Copeland is proof of that.

Last week, I had a conversation with a friend about body image. I was trying to convince her that because of the way the female body is made, it is almost impossible for a woman to add muscle and bulk up like a man. But there was no changing her mind. She thinks muscle on women makes them look masculine. (posted on my instagram.)

Does Misty look masculine?

Far from it… she is strong, beautiful, and is as girly as you can get, in her ballet slippers.

However, I have seen a lot of Fit Shaming going on all over social media. Fit Shaming is degrading one because they look too fit, or because their workout schedule seems extreme. I have seen people comment on other athletes photos/posts saying,

“Too muscular…

Eww…

Looks like a dude…”

Maria Kang caused controversy when she posted…

and she claims she is a victim of fit shaming. I agree.

Body image is always being talked about… I can’t escape it.

Even one of the top songs right now, All About that Bass, by Meghan Trainor is about body image. Honestly, I am soo over this song. Originally the song was promoted as one that embraces positive body image, but recently I have read several articles that argue quite the opposite. The articles claim, the song is guilty of “Skinny Shaming.”

Skinny shaming is the act of degrading or bullying one because they are thin. Our society has labeled thin as beautiful, so one may laugh at the idea of skinny shaming. But skinny shaming is a real thing that is happening. And bullying someone because they are skinny is just as hurtful as bullying someone because they are fat. In Meghan Trainor’s song she talks about skinny bitches, but the shaming continues beyond just this song.

The other day, I came across the article, What a Real Runner Looks Like? The article is written by Runner’s World editor Hannah McGoldrick, who started Run Outfit Of The Day on Instagram. She had a video of her RunOOTD and the comments directed toward the video were not comments about her clothing but rather her body.

“She could use a sandwich.

We don’t want to see thin models.

Why doesn’t Runner’s World show real runners with real bodies?

This girl looks like she weighs 90 pounds.

She’s anorexic.”

If you want to read Hannah’s response to the hurtful comments check out the article.

The comments above are real comments and example of skinny shaming. This whole situation annoys me so much. First of all, we don’t really know Hannah, but what we do know is that Hannah is a real runner, who writes for Runner’s World and has run three full marathons. But because we don’t know her, don’t be so quick to comment negative on a person who is only trying to be positive by inspiring others.

Another reason why I am annoyed is because I have always LOVED the RUNNING COMMUNITY. But comments like the ones above, from other runners, disappoints me. I have only seen runners support each other, until now…

My Advice to you…

Whether you do crossfit, run, barre, spin, yoga, lift… Whatever it may be… Do what you love!

Stop focusing on what your body looks like.

Instead start focussing on what your body can do.

Focus on being strong, healthy, and happy.

Stop worrying about the negative comments, because there are many different ways to define beauty, and one’s opinion of what is beautiful may be different than yours.

Oh and please lets stop bullying each other and instead start supporting each other again.

Who is your Woman Crush Wednesday? What is your definition of beautiful?

Spring has arrived.

I don’t know about you guys, but I have been experiencing some serious spring fever – meaning I am ready for things to heat up! Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say that Spring in the Washington, DC area is the best time of year here. The famous Cherry Blossoms have come and gone, and if you have never experienced spring allergies you will if you come here.

Anyway, last weekend I escaped the DC area, which was undergoing the winter/spring transition, and instead I headed down to Miami. It was there, in South Beach, that I got a sweet taste of summer.

I am definitely a beach girl. And so far, I have had the privilege to visit some pretty amazing beaches, including ones in Brazil, Barcelona, Greece, Turkey, California, Martha’s Vineyard, etc, and now I can include South Beach, Miami to the list.

Because summer is approaching, the average women uses spring to become beach ready. Being a hairstylist, I advise my clients to start growing out their bangs, and add some sun-kissed highlights, to brighten and refresh their darker locks. Some people hit the gym, while others try the latest trendy diet, in order to shed those extra pounds they gained during their winter hibernation. Most longing to look fabulous in a bikini, this leads to the hunt to find the most flattering swimsuit.

It has been interesting visiting international beaches and comparing their people and beaches to our very own. When I was Barcelona, I was able to observe, Australians, French, Spaniards, Italians, Japanese, and many more. Then when I went to Brazil, I observed Brazilians, and while in Greece, the Greeks. I came to the conclusion that most Europeans and definitely all Brazilians, are more accepting and more confident regarding their bodies. French, Spaniards, and Italians, all go topless, regardless of their age or body type. The Brazilians, do not go topless, but they are known to wear teeny tiny bikini bottoms, (side note: not considered a thong.) But the majority of Brazilians wear these tiny bikinis, even when their bottoms might not be.

As for me, I am an American, who always wears a brazilian bikini. I can thank my best friends for that one. My bff is brazilian, who ever since we became friends fourteen years ago, she has been bringing me back brazilian bikinis, every time she visits brazil. In 2006, I finally was able to travel with her, to Brazil. And again we shopped for more brazilian bikinis. So as you can see, I have a pretty big collection, of these colorful, skimpy swim suits.

Purchasing bikinis in brazil is much more affordable, and it use to be impossible to find brazilian bikini companies that would ship to the USA. However, times have changed. Brazil’s economy is booming. And now some, not all, but some of the best brazilian swimwear is available to purchase online in American dollars.

So since I was heading to one of the sexiest beaches in the USA, South Beach, Miami, and because I have trained so hard doing the Livefit trainer, it was time to treat myself to a new brazilian bikini.

I was a little nervous purchasing a bikini online. But I felt safe going with one of my favorite brazilian bikini brands, Lenny. While I was in Brazil, I was lucky enough to have had purchased two of them, and knew exactly how they fit. (Side note: Sizing is definitely different in Brazil.) Why was I so lucky? In Brazil, I was able to get two of these bikinis for a little over $100.00. Now, this brand is a major splurge, costing me a hefty $230.00 for my new bikini.

So after I had purchased my Lenny bikini, I continued my search. Not because I was dissatisfied with my choice – I am actually in love with my new Lenny bikini and wore everyday while I was in Miami. But I continued my search simply because I was curious about what other brazilian bikini companies are available to the USA, and if I could find a new more affordable favorite.

During my search, I came across Midori Bikinis. This is a small company who makes affordable Brazilian Bikinis, and ships to the USA. They too were tired of paying $70 plus for 12 inches of material. They were founded on the believe that everyone deserves affordable high quality swimwear. They have a variety of thong and brazilian bikini bottoms, including my favorite, the “Kailua Classic.”

“Our collection of unique Midori Brazilian Bikinis are especially designed for comfortable beach & surf wear. They feature Extra Life Lycra which allow our suits to be 10x more durable than normal swimwear material and 10x more resistant to fading…A variety of skimpy backs provide some coverage- but by no means are they meant to hide those cheeks!” – quoted from their website.

Their website also says that Midori Bikini sells its own line of swimwear imported directly from Brazil and they ensure the highest quality.

TIP

So let me give you some advice… I came across this company by searching the keyword brazilian bikini on INSTAGRAM. Yep, that is right, Instagram is not just for your own personal photos. It can also be used as a fabulous place to seek knowledge and discover new things. I highly advise you to follow this company Midori Bikinis on Instagram. By following them on Instagram you will be the first to receive updates about what they have in stock, and when they receive or upload new shipments of merchandise. Also, because this is a small company, but a fabulous one, when they upload their new merchandise it is gone quickly. And when I say quickly, I mean it. Do not wait a day. Trust me, with in hours all items become sold out.

I was lucky to be quick enough and was able to purchase two tops and one Kailua Classic bottom. My total was under $100 for these three items. And to my surprise the delivery was quick, and they were waiting for me at my front door, way sooner than I expected – a couple days.

Another interesting thing that I realized when researching Brazilian bikinis was the models they choose to use. The models used for Brazilian bikini companies normally are curvier or more athletic. While the American companies that sell Brazilian bikinis use very skinny models. I remember seeing one bikini that when seeing it on a model chose by a Brazilian company, loving it. But then seeing the same bikini on a model chose by an American company and hating it. Ladies- Strong is the new Skinny. See for yourself.

Brazilian Inspired –