Thoughts on Female Body Image

I started this blog because my friend Liz wanted to keep up to date on my training cycles, PRs, and upcoming competition preparedness. Well, Liz, I hit a new a PR in the gym this week. Except this PR was not on the front squat, back squat, clean and jerk, snatch, or deadlift. I hit a PR for my body weight. That's right. I'm celebrating weighing the most I have ever weighed in my entire life. I didn't studder, gals. I am celebrating gaining good weight. Weight that has become so dense thanks to Steve and Phil's cycling for powerlifting.  Weight that will help me squat, push and pull more weight with in competitons and in life. Heck, now when my single girlfriends need help carrying televisions or heavy boxes up the stairs in their houses, they call me before their male friends or husbands of our girlfriends. 

When I first stepped on the scale for weight and also had my body fat caliper testing for our transformation challenge in the gym, my jaw hit the floor; not because of my body fat percentage, but because of my body weight.  I was sad at first because as young American gals, our culture is consumed with making all of us look skinnier, slimmer, and lighter. Magazine covers encourage us to do it.  Television ads never show the athletic, well-endowed, strong size eight girls. They only show the well cut size twos and fours looking all cute and perky running around in pink. Hell, my most recent ex boyfriend even told me to be careful lifting heavy weights because he didn't want me to get "too big" or be "one of those weightlifting girls."  What does that even mean? (Funny considering he had cauliflower ear) 

 Even as little girls, we grow up thinking the boys won't like us if we aren't perfect, pretty and skinny.  Well. Lucky for me I live in a sub cultural world of sport and fitness that supports women getting stronger and happier. If in that pursuit I have not dropped a single lb or made myself look more like a skinny biatch, then I'm ok with that. I can acknowledge that the weight on that scale screaming at me, is nothing but raw, brute strength. For that, I'm thankful.  

I recall a day a few months ago that I was lamenting to my friend Laura, a salt of the earth Midwestern gal, who grew up on a farm in Minnesota, about not being like the " cute and skinny girls." Laura's work ethic and attitude has been nothing but positively contagious for me throughout our friendship.  She responded, " ...we all have those moments but you have to stop and think about the amazing things that your body is capable of doing based off of how you are built."

God gave me two big legs and two working arms. A large rear end that the Vogue models and  Hollywood starlets would gawk at. Most importantly, he gave me health and energy to chase down powerlifting and Strongman dreams. So thank you, Laura, for reminding me of our human physiological capabilities being more important than being a cute, demure, size two. And God, thank you for my large rear end, massive hamstrings, and ever evolving traps. The better to yoke carry, kick soccer balls, and squat with.  I will make the most of everything I've got while I can.