Why We Should Abandon Fitspiration
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Why We Should Abandon Fitspiration

Body image ideals should not exist.

57
Why We Should Abandon Fitspiration
Lifting Revolution

In light of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Feb. 21-27), I would like to address the trend of fitspiration on social media and how it may generate more negative effects than positive ones.

According to Lauren Bersaglio, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Libero Network, fitspiration is, "any message (usually in the form of an image with a quote included) that encourages one to “persevere,” “push,” or even “suffer” through exercise for the sake of achieving change in one’s physical appearance."

We believe that fitspiration is promoting healthy lifestyle and workout habits, but it might be reaching an extreme, which is unhealthy. While we would assume that fitspiration is inspirational, research displays that after immediately looking at fitspiration images, women experience body dissatisfaction, mood disturbance and increased social comparison.

How many of you after seeing a thin, tan and toned girl on your Instagram decide to immediately go to the gym? If you said yes and if that works for you, then that is great, but I can guarantee you it does not have that effect on everyone. In fact, in my experience of looking at fitspiration images, there are some “inspirational quotes” that do the opposite of motivating and leave people feeling poorly about their body image.

I would like to keep in mind that there are negative body image ideals for men on social media as well. Unfortunately, there is not as much research on the topic as there should be.

Here are some examples of negative fitspiration:

This image is egging on the idea that if I do not spend time working out I will be jealous of other people.

The media should not be telling me that I should feel guilty for not going to the gym and that I will have to suck it in later. Maybe I have other priorities to attend to?

This is extremely offensive. Just because one person might not think a certain body type is sexy, does not make this post OK. Many people are naturally thin and cannot help that, and if people are struggling with eating disorders and body image, this is not helping.

There are many more of these types of "inspirational quotes," but this helps display that these posts are not as motivational as we perceive. These post can increase negative self-esteem and body image dissatisfaction.


As a society and media, we need to realize that everyone has different schedules, body shapes and walks of life, and we can’t all set our standards to the ideal fitspiration image that social media has created for us. If we all became fitspiration models, we would lose our uniqueness. We would lose the idea that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. We would lose the idea that true beauty comes from within. While I think many of us already started to lose that idea due to these standards, I believe we can put a stop to this.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is important to exercise and eat healthy, but you can still be healthy without being super thin, toned, tan and a model. The problem is that after constantly seeing these images in the media, many people do believe that this is the standard of beauty. While I think those women are beautiful as well, I believe all women possess beauty and that should not be the only standard to follow.

I would like to challenge you to unfollow these accounts if you do. If it is motivating you to go to the gym and be in shape, then keep it. I know there are positive fitspiration accounts out there. However, remind yourself that exercise is about health, not achieving an unrealistic image.

If it is causing body dissatisfaction and the need to constantly compare yourself to others, delete it. If seeing these images on your feed every so often is going to make you feel poorly about yourself, it is not worth it. You are worth much more than these images and are beautiful in your own way.

Need help? Call the National Eating Disorder Association hotline at 1-800-931-2237.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

Summer Slump

Summer isn't alway just fun in the sun.

Summer Slump

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, hanging out with friends, and living it up, but for some people, that's not the case. Summer is a nightmare for idle minds. Let me explain what I mean by that. For people with mental illness having the extra time to think and relax can be devastating for their mental health. Now, this isn't a problem for everyone but for some people who suffer from mental illness, this is a reality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Which "Star Wars" Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

"The Rise of Skywalker" really got me thinking...

421
Which "Star Wars" Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Here we go...

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

NYC Classrooms struggle with marijuana and high students

The Cannabis landscape has changed, and so have what schools experience

607
Weed
Instagram
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that about 35.7% of 12th graders in the U.S. had used marijuana in the past year, and 11.8% reported daily use. As for coming to school under the influence, specific statistics can be hard to come by, but there is concern that the increasing social acceptance of marijuana may lead to higher rates of use among teenagers.
Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

The Best Capital Cities in the World To Visit

It's easy to overlook some of these, even just one - don't.

726
The Best Capital Cities in the World To Visit

Why think locally? Think big and consider traveling to the best capitals in the world.

What makes a capital "the best" – culture, sights, history & things to do, to say the least.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

How To Play 'New Girl's' True American Drinking Game

"It's 75% drinking, 20% Candy Land, and the floor is molten lava."

1582004
How To Play 'New Girl's' True American Drinking Game
i.amz.mshcdn.com

I think it's fair to say that anyone who watches "New Girl" knows about True American. This crazy, nonsense drinking game which pops up every so often throughout the seasons and first introduced in season one, episode 20.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments