My problem with #StrongnotSkinny

I’ve not written an opinion piece before, but this is a topic that has been on my mind for a while, so I thought I’d attempt at putting my personal perspective into legible scribbles…

The relatively recent appearance of the hashtag ‘#StrongnotSkinny’ has been considered by many as a step forward in encouraging women to embrace their bodies for what they can achieve, as opposed to solely their appearance. This is something I’m constantly trying to advocate: I have never been skinny, but my enthusiasm for all things sport and fitness has forged a positive focus on what my body is capable of.

However, as every sportsperson knows, the mind is overwhelmingly important in pushing the capabilities of your body to the limit.

One of my toughest days of cycling in Canada - plenty of tears and gritted teeth, but I came out with renewed mental strength and confidence in what I could achieve

And this in turn, has brought me to think about the importance of a healthy mind working in partnership with your body’s physical output. From my own personal experience, fluctuations in my mood (for whatever reason) can easily affect my performance, or even lead me to stop exercising completely (which I realise is rather counterintuitive, given that exercise is likely to release endorphins to boost my mood rather more so than sitting on the sofa stuffing my face with chocolate…but good luck trying to convince me of this when I’m suffering the usual bout of PMT).

So why create a hashtag that may praise one group of women whilst simultaneously vindicating another group of women. I understand that it’s meant to empower rather than condemn, but I feel like it’s very much a sidestep in attempts to move away from the continuous body-shaming that is exacerbated by western culture and media.

I have plenty of ‘skinny’ friends, some of whom are just as, or even stronger than I am – yet this hashtag puts them down for having a body type that they may not be able to change – just as am more powerfully built and would not be able to make myself skinny even if I tried – I can be lean if I make the effort, but I enjoy eating too much.

Mmmm...baked goods

I know it’s meant to be taken as a positive message, but I just feel like it negates any positivity it can create by continuing the pattern of advocating and praising one body shape whilst condemning another.

How is this supposed to foster a positive change in the global female psyche that we are worth more than how we look? This is an exclusive hashtag: one that isn’t embracing diversity, whilst continuing to maintain the focus on physical attributes.

It’s your mind, first and foremost, that is pushing you to your limits; praise your brain for being the part of you that forced you out of the door to go for the run that will release the endorphins and boost your mood…from this perspective, the resulting external changes to your body are merely a bi-product.

So yes, be strong, be and achieve more than what you thought yourself capable of. But first embrace who you are and realise that you aren’t simply a body with moving parts.