I know it has been talked about many times, but there is a resurgence of Insta-famous “fitness models” flooding social media with over-sexualized pictures. Pictures of breasts, super-low bikini bottoms, packages, and bare ass are popping up everywhere under the guise of #hardwork, #sweat, #inspiration, #fitness, and other trendy tags. They’re dressed and posed in a way that you don’t need an imagination, all for “likes.” It’s a teenage dream. They’re shaping how advertising is done in the fitness industry with the “sex sells” mantra leaving out the parts about actual fitness. Contrary to popular belief, if you do the hard work, you don’t have to show it all to get recognized. To quote an instagram post by our friend, @rachreid21 “build a booty you can see without having to show IG your uterus.”
The outfits and staged photos are brainwashing some into thinking this is how they’re supposed to be. Women are supposed to walk around with chest out, hips turned down to make the lack of ass appear bigger, and showing as much skin as possible to generate attention. And if things aren’t perfect, let’s pull the ab skin up tight, pushing our breasts up even more. Men are always supposed to be huge with a ripped eight pack, flared lats, and skin tight pants. Let’s not forget the ones that post amazingly lean pictures every week as if they are always perfect. Apparently these folks maintain their competition level body all year all without drugs because companies don’t want models that admit to things like SERM’s, SARM’s, AI’s, Clen, T3, Peptides, etc. And of course, what model wants their hordes of followers to see they cycle up and down like the rest of us? Can’t sell that overpriced, overhyped plan if you can’t lure people in year round. It’s no wonder there are photoshop gains, disordered eating, and the search for the perfect pill dominating the industry. Everywhere you turn, there’s a picture of another “perfect” body.
It’s seems like a small thing because I can just scroll on by… to the next one and the next one, through the never ending stream of them, but it is a direct reflection of how fitness is changing. Fitness is becoming less about actual fitness and more about who can be the better exhibitionist, poser, and manipulator. It has moved from classy pictures of muscle and footage of actual training to contortionist posing, tough-ups, and bad acting with ultra-light weights. We’ve accepted the porn star O-face for every picture and grown to expect sweeping curves and ripped abs all year long. Hell, we can’t even challenge somebody’s imagination anymore by taking pictures in shorts and tanks.
Some may read this as a piece against the competitors, but it isn’t against the competitors on either side, it’s about the whole industry and their re-defining of how men and women should look, pose, walk, etc.
The women have their own special battles. The figure and bikini poses are all about displaying assets and creating a sexual atmosphere. And it carries over to all the women that see pictures plastered everywhere. You never see men in the hip tilt position do you? Twisted ass pose? Is there an ab pose holding his package? It’s warping reality and the fact that it is now the norm can discourage some and push others to do things they wouldn’t normally do.
And the men aren’t much better in all of this. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of pictures where the photoshopping is blatantly obvious. The extra filtering, the perfect oil and sweat, and the photoshop gains that go all the way from just a little trim to inches on all the right muscles are all creating a similar reaction. Guys are looking at these photos and instantly jumping from eating healthy and busting their ass to buying fake ‘roids and all kinds of chemical compounds that nobody really knows if they work. The “fake natty” has warped reality.
How about some truth? How about posting a picture of your current condition, head to toe, every day, no filters, no perfect lighting? Hell, post a second picture of what you look like at every training session, not just the staged ones. How about we bring a little bit of taste and class back to the industry? And before you jump out and say “where's your post?” I'm not claiming to be stage or photoshoot ready year round...and I’m definitely not posting my ass all over the internet because likes = $$.
It is completely possible to take an ab shot without making your ass, chest, or groin a focus. It’s possible to take a leg and butt picture without showing the camera everything. And it’s possible to #dowork and be #sweaty without taking just another gratuitous shot. I know it’s a novel concept, but taking a picture that shows your hard work without drawing attention purely for the sexual content is possible and maybe it’s time we learned how to do it again.
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