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Forever Young, the Aerobics Era and a Real Model

Healthy habits get rewarded, aerobics falls out of fashion, and a women’s mag puts a real woman in its pages (FINALLY).

Fountain of Youth

Credit: Jo Jakeman

Credit: Jo Jakeman

Want to look a few years younger? I, for one, sure wouldn’t mind getting carded every once in awhile while buying a bottle of red. (Funny that getting carded used to be such a bother when I was younger, but now that I’m approaching 30, I take it as a compliment!) Well, turns out, there are a few foods that can really help turn back the clock, whether it’s improving your memory, building stronger bones or beating stress. And, no surprise here, all of the foods are made from Mother Nature. She sure does rock. I plan on upping my intake of spinach to help my memory. Nothing screams 28-going-on-60 like having no idea where you parked your car.

Turn back the clock.

High-Low

Credit: Mr. Juninho

Credit: Mr. Juninho

A recent New York Times article asks an interesting question: What happened to Jane Fonda in tights? While Ms. Fonda in tights will always live in FBG’s aerobic-lovin’ heart, the article does pose a good question. Why did the 80s’ aerobics craze slow down? I remember bouncing along to the 29 Minute Workout on VHS and thinking how cool the girls in leotards were. According to the article, nowadays, many clubs are offering fewer and fewer traditional aerobics classes. As a group exercise instructor myself, this makes me sad. Some of my best workout memories are in the group-ex studio doing high-low. However, the article does say that the group-ex scene is still alive; it’s just less bouncy.

I wonder if we’ll be making fun of workout capris in 10 years…

Real Women

Credit: Spigoo

Credit: Spigoo

Most of us don’t look like Barbie. And most of us don’t come close to looking like the women pictured in magazines today (to be honest, nor do they with all the airbrushing that goes on). But one mag is finally starting to get it: REAL women really are beautiful. Glamour’s September issue features Lizzi Miller, a size 12, sitting naked and looking completely fabulous. The mag has been getting a lot of praise from its readers on how refreshing it is to see someone who’s healthy and comfortable in her own skin. Hooray for normal-sized women!

We say to Glamour: Awesome. Now do more of it!

Jenn

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Comments

5 Comments
  1. Chris (Mombie) says:

    I like that Glamour decided to put a size 12 model in its pages, but I am uncomfortable with calling a size 12 model 'real' while a size 0 woman is a 'Barbie.'

    I think average would be a better word than real, since there are lots of naturally thin women, lots of naturally heavier women and lots in between.

    We need to ditch the body evaluations, not demean thin people.

    And, for the record, I am a size 10 so I am not reacting from personal hurt or anything, just concern that thin women will feel bad about their bodies because of tags like 'real.'

  2. Diane, Fit to the Finish says:

    I think it's a shame that the media still feels the need to label people. I really wish that we could just appreciate who we are where we are.

    Thanks for this really good post. It's going to give me something to think about for sure!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Chris, I don't see anywhere in this post or that article where thin women were being "demeaned."

    And maybe if so many thin women weren't so hateful towards larger women, I'd be more concerned about their feelings.

  4. Chris (Mombie) says:

    Anonymous, I totally agree that heavier women bear the brunt of size discrimination and mean comments. And that totally sucks.

    And you're right, I wasn't clear.

    I was only objecting to the terms 'real' and 'Barbie' not the content of the article. I think the terms can be demeaning.

    I don't think we gain anything by creating more ways to judge women.

  5. google_account says:

    I've always been a fan of plus-size models! There's a great site with many images of plus-size models here:

    http://www.judgmentofparis.com/

    They're all gorgeous.

    The site's forum also has thought-provoking discussions about body image and the media.

Comments are closed.