I’ve seen that phrase everywhere recently, and there’s something about it that really bothers me.
Not because there is anything wrong with being skinny.
There isn’t.
There is nothing wrong with being naturally thin, wanting to lose weight, wanting to gain weight, being muscular, being curvy, or simply being completely uninterested in changing your body at all.
The problem is that we are still talking about women’s bodies as though they are trends.
“Skinny is back” implies that at some point skinny was out. Before that, curves were “in”. Then strong was the goal. Then we had the BBL body. Then the Pilates body. Now apparently we are shrinking again.
And underneath every one of these trends is essentially the same message:
Your body, as it exists right now, might not be the right one.
That is the part I have a problem with.
There is a difference between having a goal for your body and feeling like your body constantly needs correcting.
Eating well should be an act of looking after yourself.
Training should be something that helps your body become stronger, fitter, more capable or simply makes you feel good.
Rest should be something you're allowed to take when you need it.
Food should provide energy, nutrients and enjoyment.
But when appearance becomes the overriding goal, those behaviours can start to change. What does my body need today? becomes How little can I eat today?
How can I get stronger? becomes Which workout will make my legs smaller?
I'm exhausted and need a rest day becomes I need to burn off what I ate yesterday.
And that's where I think body trends can become particularly damaging. Because we're no longer making decisions based on caring for our bodies. We're making decisions based on trying to make them fit.
Health doesn't have a body type
As a coach, I don't want every woman who walks through the door to leave with the same body. That would be ridiculous.
I want someone who isn't eating enough to learn how to fuel herself properly.
I want someone who wants to get stronger to progressively lift heavier things.
I want someone who has spent years jumping between diets to finally find some consistency.
I want someone who wants fat loss to be able to pursue that goal without feeling like she needs to punish herself to achieve it.
And I want someone who is perfectly happy with her body to know that she doesn't need to change it just because the internet has decided another shape is fashionable.
Those people might end up with completely different bodies. That's okay. Because the goal was never supposed to be making everyone look the same.
Maybe skinny is “back”.
Eventually something else will be “back” too.
That's how trends work.
But I don't think our bodies should have to follow them.
Your body isn't an outfit you need to update every season.
Nourish it. Move it. Strengthen it. Rest it. Look after it.
And if you decide you want to change it, let that decision come from you - not from an algorithm telling you which version of a woman's body we're supposed to want this year.
Comments