Will Looking at Images of Fit Women Help Black Women to Lose Weight?

Cross-posted at Beyond Black & White

What is Fitspiration?
Based on what I have read online, "fitspiration" or "fitspo" is the process of creating, collecting, watching, and reading things that will inspire you to become physically fit. It can include collecting photos of fit women, making and watching videos, collecting and sharing inspirational quotes, and creating inspirational online posters combining images and quotes. I'm talking only about fitspiration not "thinspiration" where girls/women collect and share images and quotes of underweight women to support their eating disorder. This post is NOT about thinspiration or that pro-ana stuff, fat acceptance, or feminism. It's about inspiring yourself to become really fit using motivational images.

So I have decided (once again) that I want to become one of those really fit people and lose 20-30 pounds to look my best and be healthy (Whatever the reason you have for eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, the results are still going to be the same...better health and better looks. So no need to fuss about why you want to do it, just do it!). So, along with calisthenics, I plan to do 10,000 steps on the treadmill daily while I watch something on the computer. But I wanted to watch something inspiring instead of just TV shows and movies.

So I thought it might be helpful to look at fitspiration videos! I collected a bunch of them on YouTube...actually I collected over 170 that adds up to 8 hours of video! I started exercising and watching the videos and noticed there were very few Black women in them. So I searched for some with Black women and only came up with a handful. This is not a complaint post and I am just as motivated looking at non-Black women. It motivates me because by eating right and exercising I will be a fit, slimmer version of myself, able to run better and dance better, and I will healthier. I will be a part of the same lifestyle even though I don't look exactly like them. I don't get fixated on seeing someone looking exactly like me or "trying to be someone else", I'm more motivated by the control, dedication, attitude, and proof that a healthy lifestyle is possible and beneficial.

Would Black Women Benefit from More Fitspiration?
I'm wondering if BW seeing more fitspiration would inspire them to become healthier and fitness-minded? Maybe because a lot of the BW we see around us and in the media are overweight, or just not involved in fitness, maybe that makes us think it's not a lifestyle for us (i.e., fitness is for White people). Maybe if there were more of us in Nike commercials that would actually make a difference (I'm just not into looking like Serena). Maybe if we were in more of the fitness and healthy eating commercials and magazines then we would think that lifestyle was for us. No, I'm not using this to start a petition of athletic/fitness/health product companies, I am using it to understand why BW may not think about diets, healthy eating, and becoming gym rats the way White women do. If it's due to lack of media images then I'll have to collect those images myself and expose myself to them! I'll have to frequent fitness websites and videos regardless of race and have this lifestyle etched into my consciousness so that I want to achieve it all day every day.

I accept that 99% of the young women who make fitspo videos are White so they choose other White women for their videos so that doesn't bother me and I won'r complain to them. Could it also be the case that they couldn't find many images of fit Black models (e.g., bikini models, fitness models, dancers etc.)? The collected images are from magazines and advertisements posted online, or even photos fit women take of themselves so maybe there are just not many images of fit Black women available? My first instinct was to search Google images, Tumblr, and Pinterest to find images and make my own videos. But I changed my mind because there are a lot of things I want to do so I'll leave it up to someone else for now..hint hint! Below are two examples of Black fitspo videos and I prefer the first one. Here are two examples of  White Fitspo videos:  video1 and video2. I didn't make any of these videos and they have some images I don't like too, but they are good enough :)


By a man who likes fit Black women!




I wasn't inspired by this video. This might be by a man too!

There were a few videos of fit Black women, but when I compared the Black videos to the White videos there were some differences that made them less motivating to me and possibly a turn off to some women:

1) The Black videos featured a lot of body builders who were way to muscular and this would turn off any woman who doesn't want to look like that. On the other hand most of the the White videos had some fitness models (slimmer with less muscles) or women who looked like models and dancers.
2) The Black videos  featured a lot of athletes especially track stars during competitions so they were not made up, with their hair done, posing to look perfect, or perhaps Photoshopped. So a physically attractive BW with some extra pounds might actually think she looks better than the fitspiration women. The White videos had more professional models looking their best, in the most flattering poses, and probably Photoshopped to make them look even more perfect. They had attractive bodies AND faces unlike in the Black videos.
3) The most motivating and attractive Black women were actually featured in videos made by MEN for MEN and not labeled fitspiration! I could tell that the White thinspiration videos were made by women. The male influence may bother some women (it doesn't bother me though).
4) On the positive side, many of the White videos had women who were very underweight and celebrities who have reported having eating disorders so I don't want to watch those videos. Fortunately I didn't see any such women in the Black videos so that's a good thing.

For the Fitspiration Critics
I don't know if fitspiration is right or wrong, but it exists and I think it will help me. Some people don't like fitspiration (e.g., those who only support "self-motivation" with no looking at other people for inspiration to do anything, and those against trying to improve your physical appearance for any reason. For example article1 and article2...objectification blah blah blah). Others think it's obsessive and are fearful that if they start dieting, eating healthy, or working out that they will become addicted and end up with anorexia or doing crazy things to get thin. Others feel bad about themselves when they see fitspo because they think it is impossible to achieve and don't see the value of even trying. So if you are fragile, have a history of eating disorder, know you have the tendency to go overboard and do crazy things, and if fitspo makes you hate yourself then it's definitely not right for you. But for those of us who know they will never try to starve themselves, don't want to look like waifs, and trust themselves to not go overboard, then fitspiration may be a helpful tool to help you achieve your fitness goals. It doesn't make me feel bad because I know I can do it and I have in the past so it's attainable. I don't think "fitspiration is something only White girls do and they all have eating disorders". I think to myself, 'A lot of White girls and other people seem to be able to keep their weight down and are into healthy eating and fitness. They seem to be getting benefits for their actions so maybe I should get some of those benefits for myself! If it works for them maybe it will work for me and if they can do it, then I can do it because they are not better than me.'

Some BW will insist that BW are genetically predisposed to be fat, being thin is Eurocentric so Black women shouldn't bother with it, and you can be fit and fat etc. I don't listen to that stuff because it will sabotage my goals of being super fit and hot! I'm just going to believe that we're overweight because we are too sedentary, eating too much convenient but unhealthy and calorie dense processed food, and eating restaurant food too often (if it was just genes then BW in the 60s, 70s, and 80s would have the same weight problems we have today). Cut all of those things out and the weight will come off. I choose to believe that and work to get in shape rather than complaining, thinking I'm supposed to be overweight, or not doing anything.

P.S. Not sure how this one will fly. This is one woman's opinion. Please don't fear that this one post will suddenly make all Black girls anorexic and permanently self-loathing. Remember if you read fitness magazines, do exercise DVDs, or see commercials then you are being exposed to fitspo so I didn't really introduce you to something new. The post was about looking at photos of fit women that other people have posted online. If you don't want to look at them you don't have to. If you don't want to get fit you don't have to.

Online Weight Lost Tools, Fitspiration Sites, and Related Articles
My Fitspiration Playlist (I haven't watched all the videos so save the playlist to your own account and edit out the ones that you don't like and those that have unhealthy images).
Zuzana Light (formerly on BodyRock TV, she motivates me like crazy)
Sparkpeople.com (free fitness and meal tracking with many features, cell phone app available)
http://blacknfit.tumblr.com/ (not bad but it included men)
Black women do work out 
Fit is the new black
http://fitspiration.tumblr.com/
http://pinterest.com/theniceblog/fitspiration/
http://pinterest.com/jbeard1/fitspiration/
Google images for Black women fitspo
The miseducation of fitspo: Why these sites can help you meet your goals

I Will Never Be Ashamed of My Personal Goals

Sometimes you have have to laugh at how much you underestimate yourself. I was looking at 43Things.com and then I read another good article on Pick the Brain about How to Create Your Self-Improvement Plan. It just made me laugh because 43Things is a site where over 3 million people set goals to either improve themselves, experience something (that they feel will make them happy thus improving their life), or learn something (that again will make them happy in some way improving their lives). People vary in what they set as goals but the point is that they have things they want to achieve and they are not just sitting back and waiting for life to happen! They decide on the type of person and the type of experiences they want and take steps to achieve their goals. This is NORMAL. People who have no goals or just let life happen to them are, in my opinion, abnormal or so burdened or preoccupied that they don't have the option of making personal goals. I'm highly doubtful though that those people don't have dreams and aspirations they would attempt if they had the chance.

Just take a look at the site and look at all the various goals people want to achieve. They range from 'visiting New Zealand' and 'learning to draw Manga' to 'earning $100,000 a year' and 'completing a triathlon'. Some goals are trivial like 'learning to make tamales', some are admirable like 'appreciate my parents', and others are really high aspirations like 'save a life'. So when people look at my goal to be more feminine, have excellent manners (better than average), carry myself like a lady, get married to a prestigious man, have children etc. I just have to laugh because not only do other people share these goals, but they are not as trivial or strange and many I've seen! Plus, I don't think those with trivial goals are bad people, ignorant, self-hating, vapid etc. because they usually have some substantial goals along with the trivial ones and they may have already achieved more meaningful things. People having different goals, interests, likes, dislikes, and opinions is what makes the world interesting!

The blog and becoming an EBW is a hobby that could actually benefit my social interactions and improve my appearance but I have other goals and interests. This is no different from someone who wants to lose weight, fix their teeth, learn another language, grow their hair long, get a tattoo etc. which are all unnecessary things but the individual believes they will bring some benefit. These people could listen to the advice "you are good just the way you are", "you are trying to be something you aren't", "your willingness to change shows you hate yourself and think you are inferior" but most people don't have such attitudes about self-improvement, trying new things, or making personal changes. Who cares if it isn't hurting anyone? Unless that person has a lot of power over others and their personal goals somehow hurt those people, or they are actually harming the individual (in that case they will probably stop without you lol), an individuals interests shouldn't bother anyone.

It makes me wonder about those who are so opposed...have they never tried to change themselves in any way? Don't they have any goals? Why is my hobby and interest so offensive to you compared to others? I think the problem is that such critics are not putting things in perspective and they are exaggerating the importance of goals like mine. It's as though they imagine every woman will suddenly do what I'm doing, they will be forced to conform, and then the world will end because it's just so horrible! Some goals are serious and could harm the individual and the public, but my goals are not like that at all! I know this because no one in my real life has a problem with it and no one has complained (I get compliments actually). You see, I like certain things a certain way and it would be great if more people would do things that way. But doesn't everyone feel that way about some things? For example, many people say they wish others were nicer, more responsible, more hardworking, more appreciative, less racist, less lazy, took better care of themselves, less serious, more involved etc because they believe that would make life better for them and others. I don't need EVERYONE to be the same either and there is no way I could enforce that anyway so why worry about it?

My point is that people should relax and not get worked up over other people's goals, interests, self-improvement goals, and desires for people to be a certain way unless these goals are actually harmful to the individual and society. Wishing that more women wore 50s (or any style) style dresses because they are pretty is not harmful but wishing and promoting the sexual assault of women who dress differently is harmful. Wishing and advocating that people show better manners is not harmful but advocating that women or children be beaten for not doing so is harmful. Saying you admire someone for reasons A, B, and C is not harmful and there is something wrong if one can never see the good in others, or see some people as all good or all bad. Relax and keep things in perspective. Maybe you need to focus more on making and achieving your own goals rather than focusing on the interests of others. I will never justify my blog or my interests to anyone ever again.

Well for everything someone likes there will be someone who absolutely hates it. These articles actually make me laugh but some people hate vintage fashion as much as I hate modern fashion lol!
Why I hate vintage clothing fashion
5 lies women who wear vintage dresses tell (lol bitter much?)

Social Comparisons are Torture for the Hopeless

This post is somewhat related to an excellent post on the Feminine Black Woman called What's Wrong with Social Climbing. How does one come to the decision that they can and should do better? I think this drive may come out of necessity if one's living conditions are unpleasant (e.g., one is fed up with having no money and living in a bad neighborhood). They compare themselves to those who have enough money and live in better neighborhoods and do what is necessary to achieve those goals.

For others (who really aren't doing badly) it's merely seeing what others have and wanting it for themselves. This involves comparing one's own state to that of others--social comparison. There are plenty of articles and advice about not comparing oneself to others but this is meant to help people to not feel bad about themselves. They advise to not compete or pay attention to others because you may feel bad and fail to ever achieve what the others have (social comparison can lead to negative envy if one is not careful). You will hear things like "money doesn't buy happiness" when money pays for food, shelter, clothing, education, and health care. Or "the grass always looks greener on the other side" while there are statistics and everyday examples of people living better or worse lives than others. Or "never change yourself to meet someone else's expectations" and "you are good enough just the way you are" even though we strive to meet expectations in school and on the job where those who don't meet the expectations are failed, expelled, paid less, or fired. For some people, they are hopeless about becoming like those they admire so they protect their self-esteem by not making comparisons (if you need to do this to function then keep doing it). This is a coping mechanism as I wrote about in a previous post. Some people have blinders on and pretend (or actually believe) that they know it all and never need to ask or look to anyone about how to be the best they can be. But they can fall into the trap of thinking they are WAY better than they actually are as I wrote about in the past. They are not high-achievers.

Sometimes this coping/defense mechanism works so well that the people using it will point to those making social comparisons and say that they have low self-esteem, think they are inferior, and think others are better than them! Any time someone compares themselves to another person or group that individual is accused of feeling inferior! But let me ask you this, when a thief steals a car does that mean he thinks the car owners are better than him? I think he just wants what they have...that car! I can want what someone else has and think I am better than them, they are the worst people in the world, I don't want to be like them on the inside or outside, and I deserve what they have more than they do. I just want something they have whether it is deserved or not. You must separate wanting the status, privileges, and possessions of other people from wanting TO BE other people. I would gladly receive all of Paris Hilton's possessions and be a hotel heiress but I don't like her or want to be her! Don't tell me for a second that Black people don't want what White people have because that was the whole point of Civil Rights and Equal Rights movements, asking for better housing and schools, justice, and asking for an end to racism. The point was/is to have the same rights, freedoms, safety, opportunities, and treatment that White people have! The problem my blog trolls have is envy because they actually do want what White women and Asian women have but they also resent these women and transfer that hate to Black women like myself. Don't hate the player, hate the game! Unlike you though, I think playing is better than sitting out and winning nothing. These trolls want to be prized and cherished for merely existing and doing whatever undesirable things they choose instead of doing what is prized by most people.

I'm wondering though how people imagine it is possible to be a high achiever without making social comparisons? How does an athlete train to be the best if they do not pay attention to the performance of past and present competitors? How does a company strive to make the best computer if they do not examine the products of the competition? How does a student strive for an A+ without knowing what A+ work looks like? How does one know how to lead without looking at other leaders for examples (or read theories and books about leadership written by people who studied leaders)? How does one win a competition if they pay no attention to what the competition is doing? I think this just highlights the difference between: A) those who have the drive to compete, versus B) those who don't and can only use their energy to barely get by and convince themselves that their lives are great. So before you make a troll comment ask yourself if you are in category B and have no understanding or desire to do what it takes to be in category A. People like myself in category A do not listen to advice from those in category B because you can only teach us how not to achieve the best. You should not read posts about social comparisons because your self-esteem can not handle it and it makes you feel bad. When you feel bad you lash out at the authors and project your lack of self-esteem onto them! (as you can tell these people annoy me because they are very vocal and rude). Read THIS POST to determine if you are an A or B.

So this leads to the questions pertinent to this blog...how can one learn to be feminine without looking at others who are highly feminine? How can one learn to be a prized and cherished woman without looking at those who are prized and cherished? Whenever I do a post using Asian women as the example some troll comes along and says "don't you see you are boosting them up with this post", "you think that Black women are inferior to Asian women", "you have low self-esteem and think Asian women are better than you", or "there is something wrong with you because you compare yourself to Asian and White women" etc. I think actually you are the one with the problem because your self-esteem takes a hit whenever Black women are compared to other groups. My self-esteem is in-tact before and after those posts because I don't think Asian or White women are better, they have just been dealt a better hand, and they made better plays. But now that I am in the game, despite the bad hand, I can win and have won many games. I think I can become just as good a "player" as they are so to me, their status is attainable. Maybe not for all Black women, but for me I know it is. I do not believe I have to have pale skin, blue eyes, Asian eyes, straight blonde hair, or petite bone structure to achieve the status I want either (as I wrote about in my Black standard of beauty post).  So no I do not want to be a White or Asian woman and just like the car thief...I just want the prized status and options they have, nothing more. If you want to know why I single out Asian women, I wrote about that a while ago in THIS POST if you must know but I doubt you can handle it.

Related Articles:
How to learn from competition: AMAZING!!! Read this article! This is about business like most articles about studying the competition (or sports). I want you to read this article and just imagine that what you are selling is your companionship/employee services as a Black woman while others are selling companionship/employee services of Asian or White women. I have done as the article explains: figure out who the competition is (White and Asian women where I live), find out what they are doing differently (being more traditionally feminine), find out what other people are saying about the competition (they are more feminine and that is highly desirable), and then decide whether or not to incorporate the competitions features into your product. I have also done the same examination with Black women to identify EBWs (e.g., other Black women are competition/role models, they are more feminine yet successful, they are the most desired, respected, and successful Black women). This was intuitive to me being that I've always had to compete but this may be foreign to others, especially those who do not think they are in competition. Once again, this is common sense! I have to include this quote:

"When you view your competitor as a villain, you assume you are the savior. You think everything you do is right and everything they do is wrong (smells like victim mentality...). This kind of mindset will prevent you from doing the right things at the right time (e.g., rejecting education, speaking well, or good manners by calling that "Acting White" and therefore wrong). You may not be able to keep an open mind when you see them doing something different because you will assume it is wrong." BINGO!

Comparing yourself to others: It's not all bad

How do I study my competition?
"Knowing the competition is cruicial to the success of any business.
1)Gathering a solid base of information is the first step to creating a strong competitive analysis.
2)The next step is analyzing the information and using it to your advantage. List the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor.
3)Then look for areas where you cannot compete and areas where you can provide something that others cannot."

Leila Lopes, Miss Universe 2011 made herself into a

highly prized and cherished EBW. She competed with

White, Asian and many other women to be the best...

and SHE WON! She knew her competition and strove to

Be BETTER!

Becoming an Elegant Black Woman is Very Ambitious!

What does it mean to be ambitious?

1. Having or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed- his mother was hard-working and ambitious for her four children

 2. (of a plan or piece of work) Intended to satisfy high aspirations and therefore difficult to achieve- the scope of the book is very ambitious- an ambitious enterprise 

(Ambitiousness) Ambition is the desire for personal achievement. It provides the motivation and determination necessary to help give direction to life. Ambitious people seek to be the best at what they choose to do for attainment, power, or superiority. ...(source)

Everyone has certain ambitions and things they want to do in life. But not everyone is "ambitious". Some people are fine with their lot in life, accept things as they are, and feel that they deserve the life they currently have. Others are ambitious and strive for high personal achievement and to be the best they can be in all aspects of life. I have come to realize that I am very ambitious! This comes as somewhat of a surprise to me because I thought it was just normal to strive to be the best and most people would do so if they could (e.g., if they were not bogged down with so may problems or barriers). 

I think that wanting to become an EBW is very ambitious because as you can read in the header above, I want to improve myself so that I become a better woman of the highest quality, despite my upbringing or lineage, so that I can attract good, successful men of any race. An ambitious woman does not just "settle" for what comes her way or what people think she deserves. She works hard to achieve what she wants and to change her situation into one she desires. 

I think my ambitiousness was definitely due to my upbringing (thanks Mom and Dad). My parents always expected an A (80% or higher) on my school work and they enrolled me into a school program with high achieving students who had high GPAs when compared to other students. I worked hard because I valued education, I thought high grades were supposed to be everyone's goal, and I didn't want to be the one who didn't achieve that goal. I also believed it was the norm for people to go to university if they wanted a good life and I always thought that the only acceptable occupations for me would be a doctor, dentist, or lawyer (why not strive for the best right?). So I went to school and obtained my advanced degree. I wanted to be highly intelligent, knowledgeable, competent, professional and well respected in society.

In terms of my personal characteristics, I am ambitious because I strive to have good manners, good health, a healthy weight, an attractive body, an attractive face, beautiful hair, and an attractive wardrobe. I work to be achieve these things because they are desirable traits to me an others. I also want to achieve the relationship I want, with a man I am physically, emotionally, and mentally attracted to, who has the same attraction to me, who I get along with, has similar values, and is just as ambitious as I am. Then we can strive to achieve our "dream life" of a house, his and her cars, a picket fence (actually I prefer hedges), two kids, a dog (preferably a cat), vacations, security, and a happily ever after. Actually almost all of my self-improvement goals were for this purpose, to have this happy life of love, family, security (including financial), and happiness.

So in terms of my education and career I am on the right track and my work is paying off. However in terms of my dream life things were not going as planned. I wasn't happy with my appearance, I was single, and I was not attracting the men I wanted. So being the ambitious person that I am, I decided to do something about it!  We all know that most men like attractive women so I improved my attractiveness. I also learned that many men prefer feminine women so I learned about femininity (I'm still learning) and allowed myself to be more feminine. I sought out many ways to do so including: reading about feminine fashion, looking at clothing online, and buying a new wardrobe; reading about feminine traits, allowing myself to show them, and reducing my masculine traits; and reading about relationships, going out out on dates, and trying the new things I have learned. A lot of what I've read and heard about feminism doesn't fit with this behaviour so I had to stop blindly following feminist ideas and I have allowed myself to be critical and only accept what doesn't harm my interests. The funny thing is, being ambitious is often listed as a masculine trait! So there's some equality for you :)

Showing too many masculine traits, suppressing my femininity, and just going with the flow in my social life was not achieving my goals and I was not going to accept that. As an ambitious person I used my resources to change my odds so that I would be more likely to achieve my dream life goal. This is ambitious and goes against what many others believe. I do not believe great things will "just happen" if I am patient, hope, wish, or pray. I try to make things happen. I believe that people are constantly changing and that my personal habits are not "the real me" so I have no issues with changing some personal habits in order to achieve my goals. People change their make up and wardrobes constantly so I see no problem with changing my make-up and clothing to appear more feminine (it's not like I'm getting plastic surgery, degrading myself in trashy clothes, putting up with mistreatment, or sleeping around to win men so I am not harming myself). Also since many of us have masculine and feminine traits I see noting wrong with choosing at this point to express my femininity over my masculinity since I didn't really like the masculine side anyway. I feel happier being feminine and expressing those traits rather than feeling pressure to be strong, aggressive, and independent all the time. There are many women like myself who were unhappy with their lives and decided to change their circumstances. They want better and I have no doubt that many of the women we admire are ambitious. The only reason we know about them is because they were ambitious enough to stand out above the rest!

So are you ambitious enough to change your life, not care what others say, resist the pressure to settle for less, and strive to achieve you dream life?

Related Articles:
Ambition: Why some people are most likely to succeed (very informative!)