It is a phrase that haunts all, men and women alike. It is the reason that between the months of January and March hundred of humans will flock to buildings of certifiable torture and pay through the nose to attend. It is judgment in a two-word noun phrase. It is the dreaded Beach Bod.
Now, I am not claiming to be completely innocent in the quest for a body that I or anyone else would be proud to flaunt in an overly expensive loin cloth. And I, like so many others, will be sweating last night's pizza out of every pore whilst killing myself on the elliptical. Why is it so important that I drop a couple lb's in order to lay on a beach? Further analysis of this behavior has lead me to absolutely no conclusion rather than vanity and a desperate need to conform to society's standards of beauty.
Yes, it is important to be physically fit and healthy and be able to walk up a flight of stairs without becoming winded. But that is not my goal. It is not my one true motivation. I beg the question, "why?"
Society has told us that the beach is a place for the beautiful and elite; for those who have it, flaunt it. Whatever "it" may be that particular year. It is a place where beautiful women go to *not* be stared at while simultaneously wanting to be stared at. It is where men go to flex their muscles and oil themselves to the achieve a beautiful bronzed glow that borders on the realms of skin cancer. It is torture. It is literal hell. Where fire is fueled by the glaring looks that girls shoot through their brightly colored, Michael Kors sunglasses.
Why? Why do we subject ourselves to the judgment, to the sunburns, to the uncomfortable feeling of sand in every crevice of our self-loathed bodies? Is it for the Instagram post? For the enumerable likes on our soon to be picture of our footprints in the sand? For someone to comment the fire emoji?
It is to be said that society dictates a lot of the motions that we as humans go through. Though society is to blame, are we not society? And in that sense, we are to blame.
The next time you decide to do something. Literally anything, remind yourself of the motives. Of your true intentions for what you are doing. Is it for yourself? Is it for someone you love? Is it for you to brag about what you have on social media? Is it so you can make yourself feel better about yourself? If you can truly acknowledge the reasoning behind your every action, soon you will become self-aware. You will soon be free from the societal ties that pull you in a million directions. Fleeting trends will no longer fuel your shopping trips or your meal choices.
It is important to understand that I am not shaming anyone for their intentions for getting in shape. I am not claiming to have reached a point in my life that I know what I am doing or why I fell strongly about certain things. It is important to note that I am trying to understand myself and you should do the same.
I challenge you, yes you, to be realistic. Do not hide behind the fabric of society or you phone screen. Stop the subtweets, stop posting pictures hoping for someone to comment, "omg goals." Stop trying to obtain what someone else has. While you scroll longingly over that Fitness Insta, do not be jealous. Recognize your beauty, and recognize you have the power to change your body. But only if you want to.
If you decide to get in shape, do it for yourself. Be your own motivation. Do it because you want to look killer in a bikini. But remember that you would look just as beautiful if you put it on right now.
Do not yearn for a beach body. Yearn for your body; for your beautiful body on a beach in whatever form or level of fitness it may be in. Yearn for health. Yearn for understanding. Yearn for acceptance. Yearn for self-love. But do not simply yearn for a beach body.
