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Thursday, August 29, 2013

My Two Cents on Miley, Crossfit, and Body Image

So I was chatting with my girls last night and of course the discussion got around to Miley Cyrus.  Now, I was encouraged to write this by Casey- so this blog is for you girlfriend.  My insight may not be loved by all, but I make no apologies for it.  It is important for me to point out discrimination and sexism when I see it- especially when it is put out there by a group that I am a part of.  

I told my girlfriends how unbelievably disappointed I was in some of the responses I saw from different Crossfit pages that had memes saying that Miley needs to squat.  This disappointment almost hit me as hard as the "Turning 7's into 10's" commercial that was played throughout the Crossfit games last year.  This pisses me off so much because Crossfit is supposed to be a community that supports women and women's bodies- no matter what they look like.  It is supposed to be a community that empowers women and focuses them on what they can do, not what they look like and meeting societal standards of beauty. 

Crossfitters are the first people to come to a woman's defense if she is "too muscular" or "manly" but when Miley gets up there in booty shorts without the muscle tone of a weight lifter everyone freaks the fuck out and takes pot shots.  Honestly, it is so anti-feminine and such bullshit.  There are many women who Crossfit, beginners and veterans, who may not have the muscle tone of Talayna Fortunato.  I wonder how less toned, or thinner athletes felt after looking at memes like that and how it made them feel about their bodies.   

And as far as sexism goes, I asked myself why no one from the Crossfit community has posted a meme that Celo Green needs to do sit ups?  Once again, a ridiculous double standard that really wants to keep women focused on what really matters:  Pleasing men.

I thought the Crossfit community was a little bit beyond the objectification of women and making women feel badly about their bodies. And I understand that "it's a joke" made by a few, and is not representative of all the amazingly supportive men and women in the community who do so much to promote healthy body image.  The fact is this needs to be addressed.  It is part of the social responsibility of the group to call this shit out and stop it in its tracks.   Supporting things that make women feel insecure is never on my agenda, or the agenda of most Crossfit men and women.  And Miley- rock those booty shorts all day, because guess what, my ass doesn't look perfect in them either- and I squat.  


xoxo
J