My rant about body image

[Brian5225]

I don't know if anyone will read this, but I gotta vent about something that's been bugging me for quite a while: body image in our society.

I mean, I'm not exactly a perfect candidate to look at because I am somewhat affected by it, seeing as how I am a bodybuilder by hobby, which is someone who is constantly attempting to improve their body. But from middle school through high school I was very overweight, and made fun of all the time. I felt terrible about the way I looked, and I had an extremely low self-esteem. I saw magazines all the time of people that were "buff", attractive, getting all the women they wanted. Saw six-pack abs all over the place, and I thought I was some sort of anomole seeing as how all I had was rolls and a zit covered face. I was 6'1, 200 lbs. and I could barely bench press 100 lbs. Fast forward to now, after extreme amounts of stress and low self-esteem and no confidence whatsoever, I was led into bodybuilding, and am now 6'1 roughly 190 lbs at 13%bf.

What bothers me, is how the society makes people feel. I am extremely empathetic towards people who have low self-esteems, and especially towards people who feel terrible about their appearance. Take for example, the other day. I was in vitamin world, and there was a guy working there that appeared to be about 19 years old, and skinny as a stick. There was a customer there, and was asking about bulking, or just adding a few pounds of muscle before summer. The worker directed the customer to a "creatine serum", and started explaining how creatine works and whatnot. I apologized about butting in, but explained the conversion of creatine>creatinine in solution, and explained how the solution is basically worthless. I also explained that plain old creatine mono would be a cheaper more effective alternative.

Now, this didn't bother me. What bothered me, was he told me "that's interesting, thanks for telling me. I had actually just started using it and I had no idea...". After the customer left with some creatine mono, the worker went to the solution on the shelf, and with a little of a hopeless look in his eyes was looking and reading the label. This bothered me. I mean this kid (who am I calling kid he was only a few years younger lol) was as skinny as a stick, and obviously felt bad about his appearance. I feel bad for the guy, I mean he really had hope in this product, and thought it was going to make a difference, maybe bring him some confidence. I know what it feels like to not know where to look when you feel terrible about yourself.

Another instance, I bought the "ECA Extreme" stack on ebay, only to closer examine the label after I got it realizing there were no ephedrine alkaloids in it - aka worthless product. So I sold it on ebay a second time. When I went to print the label, I saw her name. That's all it took, and it upset me for the rest of the day. I mean most likely, it's some woman who feels terrible about her weight and is hoping a product will help her feel better about herself. I mean I see women pulled this way and that way about diets "south beach, atkins, nutrasystem, jenny craig, etc." and they're looking for something to make themselves feel better, only to make themselves feel worse.

It makes me feel so bad to see people every day, with magazines, movies, books, etc. it's all over the media, women with tiny waists, men with broad shoulders and six packs. People see these things all over, and pretty soon they start thinking they're abnormal because they don't look like that. They feel they're not attractive to the opposite sex because they aren't "hot" or at least haven't got a "beach bod". I mean I see it all the time, people who are truly beautiful people on the inside, caring, loving, wonderful people who feel that they're worthless because of the way they look, when in fact, they've got more than most of those models combined.

Congradulations for those who lived and stayed awake through my whole rant lol.

 

[joeflex73]

The media is ultimately who to blame. Your right, its everywhere. Most people by the time they get older, they quit caring what other people think....at least it was that way for me, and I; like you, was overweight and weak in high school and am in much better condition today.

But it goes even to the other extreme. Take a look at bodybuilding. We're looked at as freaks (like the moron in SI who called the Arnold Expo a carnival of cartoonish freaks), and people make fun of our diets when ultimately we should make fun of them for eating there Whopper with extra mayo and cheese (we shouldnt be making fun of...but I think you get my point). They dont understand us. Like the fat kid or the bodybuilder, we're misunderstood cause we're not the norm. Ill take being a freak anyday though over being normal.

 

[RenegadeRows]

I agree. People should improve themselves if they want, but should feel accepted by society no matter how they look. Sad world we live in.

 

[Cub]

If everybody felt accepted the way they were then there would be no driving force to alter their physical state. I judge fat people and you do too, even if it is in your subconscious. I don't want to, but as Brian stated in his post, it is the way society and the media have shaped us that creates these beliefs. A lean, muscular physique will always be respected over an overweight individual. There are no fat role models in society, and there never will be. Fat people know this, just like the woman who purchased the "ECA" as another glimmer of hope. But at the end of the day, that's what this community is for, to educate and help these people achieve their weight loss (or muscle gain) goals. I became a personal trainer for this reason, as did every other trainer.

 

[Gtarzan81]

For most things in life, theres something you did, or didnt do to get where you are.
I'm naturally very skinny, so the muscle I have, I've had to work and eat for.
Some people are naturally big, if you want to be thinner, you eat and work for that too.

I'm just tired of the "woe is me, wheres the shortcut" people.
Quit your b!tchin, and do something about it. If it bothers you enough, you will do something about it.

 

[B5150]

I don't know if anyone will read this, but I gotta vent about something that's been bugging me for quite a while: body image in our society.

I mean, I'm not exactly a perfect candidate to look at because I am somewhat affected by it, seeing as how I am a bodybuilder by hobby, which is someone who is constantly attempting to improve their body. But from middle school through high school I was very overweight, and made fun of all the time. I felt terrible about the way I looked, and I had an extremely low self-esteem. I saw magazines all the time of people that were "buff", attractive, getting all the women they wanted. Saw six-pack abs all over the place, and I thought I was some sort of anomole seeing as how all I had was rolls and a zit covered face. I was 6'1, 200 lbs. and I could barely bench press 100 lbs. Fast forward to now, after extreme amounts of stress and low self-esteem and no confidence whatsoever, I was led into bodybuilding, and am now 6'1 roughly 190 lbs at 13%bf.

What bothers me, is how the society makes people feel. I am extremely empathetic towards people who have low self-esteems, and especially towards people who feel terrible about their appearance. Take for example, the other day. I was in vitamin world, and there was a guy working there that appeared to be about 19 years old, and skinny as a stick. There was a customer there, and was asking about bulking, or just adding a few pounds of muscle before summer. The worker directed the customer to a "creatine serum", and started explaining how creatine works and whatnot. I apologized about butting in, but explained the conversion of creatine>creatinine in solution, and explained how the solution is basically worthless. I also explained that plain old creatine mono would be a cheaper more effective alternative.

Now, this didn't bother me. What bothered me, was he told me "that's interesting, thanks for telling me. I had actually just started using it and I had no idea...". After the customer left with some creatine mono, the worker went to the solution on the shelf, and with a little of a hopeless look in his eyes was looking and reading the label. This bothered me. I mean this kid (who am I calling kid he was only a few years younger lol) was as skinny as a stick, and obviously felt bad about his appearance. I feel bad for the guy, I mean he really had hope in this product, and thought it was going to make a difference, maybe bring him some confidence. I know what it feels like to not know where to look when you feel terrible about yourself.

Another instance, I bought the "ECA Extreme" stack on ebay, only to closer examine the label after I got it realizing there were no ephedrine alkaloids in it - aka worthless product. So I sold it on ebay a second time. When I went to print the label, I saw her name. That's all it took, and it upset me for the rest of the day. I mean most likely, it's some woman who feels terrible about her weight and is hoping a product will help her feel better about herself. I mean I see women pulled this way and that way about diets "south beach, atkins, nutrasystem, jenny craig, etc." and they're looking for something to make themselves feel better, only to make themselves feel worse.

It makes me feel so bad to see people every day, with magazines, movies, books, etc. it's all over the media, women with tiny waists, men with broad shoulders and six packs. People see these things all over, and pretty soon they start thinking they're abnormal because they don't look like that. They feel they're not attractive to the opposite sex because they aren't "hot" or at least haven't got a "beach bod". I mean I see it all the time, people who are truly beautiful people on the inside, caring, loving, wonderful people who feel that they're worthless because of the way they look, when in fact, they've got more than most of those models combined.

Congradulations for those who lived and stayed awake through my whole rant lol.

Not for nothing dude by you sure did extrapolate a lot of assumptions about how this kid thinks and feels about himself based upon his physical appearance and ignorance about a creatine product.

I agree with what society and the media has done with body image. But you have jumped to a conclusion that someone, a complete stranger that you don't know, has the same hang up and feeling about it as you do or did at one time about it and yourself.

Some people could possibly really not care.

 

[Palo Alto Labs]

WE can sit here and blame the media... but its SOCIETY's fault. If the people didnt want to see this, then the media could not sell it.
We encourage the media to keep these pretty images before our eyes.

Remember maslows hierarchy on human needs?

people always seem to be stuck at
Love and belongingness
and self esteem

Unless you can get past this.. you will always be stuck in the same rut.
I love bodybuilding and I love exercise... but I do it for me and me alone (but i do like when it turns on my gf)
But this is the same reason i think a lot of people turn to PHs and AAS... they need to look jacked and dont want to put the solid work in... this is not discounting the people who take anabolics, but the people who arent ready for them yet.

Until you love yourself, its hard to love anyone else...
My gf alwasy *****es about wanting lipo or a boob job.. i keep telling her ill leave her if she gets anything done. I find confidence sexier than fake tits.

 

[Cub]

What about a confident woman with fake tits? The reason they have these procedures done is to boost confidence. It's life changing.

 

[VolcomX311]

Apart from physical disabilities, everybody has a chance and choice to DO something about it. I'm not saying our standards should be guys with six packs and girls with lines down their abs, but when you're talking obesity or even just really fat. That's a long process of irresponsiblity or apathy of self respect.

Now being painfully skinny, I can't speak on that, but I've been seriously overweight, and I didn't just wake up like that one day. It was years of poor food choices and a choice to be sedantary. Make different choices.

Again, I don't think we need to look perfect or even near perfect, but achieving a normal, healthy body composition is not that hard. Getting below 10% bf would be an unfair standard for the average person, but I dont think anyone expects that from anybody realisitcally, otherwise male/female model covers wouldn't be THAT hot, because they'd look like everybody else.

I'm a natural endomorph and I have to work extremely hard to still never have abs, but I look good still. Everybody has their own relative hill to climb. Some of my friends can eat crap and have abs, but those same friends can also lose size weekly if they don't upkeep. I size up if I breath too much, but I have to do two a day 45-60 min cardio sessions plus lifting to look 80% as good as they do. Of course I can look fine without that abundantly, extensive effort, but again, it's a matter of choices, and I choose to strive for excellence.

I like a quote from a forgotten source, "don't complain about what you permit"

P.S. I'm not saying your complaining bro, this isn't addressed at you or anything like that, just a general statement.

 

[Mrs. Gimpy!]

i feel that though women have a lot more pressure to look "perfect", men almost have it harder. I know that everyone's determination and dedication is different when it comes to working out, but I've seen more men work a lot harder than women to gain bulk and to still look pretty much the same, while women simply have to keep off the fat (which is rather easy) and develope enough muscle to not look flabby or anorexic (also easy). I feel much worse for the men with self esteem issues than the women.

i praise all of you. If I were a man, it would not be a nice sight.

 

[Nightwanderer]

I was 18 when fight club came out, & that movie was (oddly, since it is a hollywood product itself) good for me when it came to helping me not get too overwhelmed by superficial vanities.