From people shaving their bits in the gym changing room to yet another instagram of green freaking juice, if something’s really getting your fitness goat we want to hear about it.
Our new Rant of the Month feature is here for you to get those workout quibbles off your chest – the more controversial the better – and if you don’t have any, no fear, we’ve got hundreds! This month, why I HATE the term #FatNotThin (like, really hate it).
In the beginning there was #StrongNotSkinny. I didn’t mind it too much, I got the idea – stop trying to starve yourself to look like a supermodel and focus on having a strong healthy body instead. Good concept, fair enough. As someone who, when marathon training and probably at my fittest, tends to drop quite a bit of weight and could be viewed as falling into the ‘skinny’ category I was slightly offended but I could live with it. After all, skinny is a bit of a negative term usually reserved for little kids, it’s not something you often apply to grown women. No when women are slim that’s what we call them, slim or thin, a perfectly normal size.
What the f***k is wrong with being thin? Surely you can be both? You know like Paula Radcliffe or someone?
Which is why, when the whole #FitNotThin bollocks started off as a campaign in the Sunday Times Style last year it really freaking irritated me. And as the hashtag now consumes my Twitter and instagram feed it’s been driving me increasingly nuts ever since. For a start, it’s a bloody lazy rip off of Strong Not Skinny. Secondly, what the f***k is wrong with being thin? Surely you can be both? You know like Paula Radcliffe or someone? With rising obesity levels and diabetes on the increase we should definitely be promoting fitness whatever your body shape, wholeheartedly agree, but why do we have to do this by demonising being thin?
By saying #FitNotThin you’re demonising another (often healthy and often genetic) body type
I’d say that I’m naturally a relatively thin person, so why all of a sudden is there something wrong with me? It’s un-PC to call people ‘fat’ these days, but surely by saying #FitNotThin you’re demonising another (often healthy and often genetic) body type. Oh and some of the muscular and super-fit types splashing the hashtag all over instagram these days are just as unrealistic targets for many women as supermodels. Most of us don’t have a spare three hours a day to spend in the gym.
And yes, I know full well that thin people need to exercise too. They could be slim because they eat 60 B&H and a pasty every day
And yes, I know full well that thin people need to exercise and look after their health too. They could be slim because they eat 60 B&H and a pasty every day. Their insides could be full of fatty gunk. But we don’t have to slag them off for their body shape, we should encourage everyone to become fit and healthy whatever they look like and just drop all this negativity (I know, I know, intentional irony).
I think I hate the hashtag #FitNotThin more than I hate pictures of green juice – and that is a lot! So instead of saying Fit Not Thin why can’t we just say fit? Strong not Skinny? I’d go with strong. In fact, sod them all I’m going with Fit as Fuck and sticking with it.
If you have feedback, comments, death threats for me post them below. And if you fancy getting something off your chest for Rant of the Month email charlotte@lungesandlycra.co.uk (you can remain anonymous if you’re being particularly salacious or worried about trolling)
