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Remember my article about self-body shaming and my promise to stop fighting myself and accept my current body shape? Well, I still have a (very) long way to go. This is mostly due to increasing procrastination regarding any form of fitness and, lately, social media. The latter is useful for connecting with you, sharing our news with the world, and finding inspiration. And I am very grateful for that.
However, as much as I love all these perks, I began to loathe them. As most business owners and start-ups know, social media is one of the most important tools to get the word out about your brand and increase the talk. So are influencers. Don’t get me wrong, I deeply respect every digital content creator out there and am in awe of their hard work in building their image and sharing with you so much from their private life. Nevertheless, I started to get influenced negatively by all these social media accounts I follow for our business. And tbh my own, which I curated carefully until my accident in January 2021. The song Free by Florence + the Machine is the perfect soundtrack for this state of mind ...
What negativity, you might ask, as there is so much love and light on social media. And thankfully, there truly is. But I can’t shield myself against my inner critic regarding my body image anymore while going down the social media rabbit hole.
Naturally, I could finally start a fitness regime. Or start running. Or start eating healthier and more restrictive than I already am, as I recently turned 45 and my body started its journey into its perimenopausal phase. I agree with you regarding moving my body to support my hormonal journey. What I find difficult, though, is wrapping my head around the body image that has been projected onto women for so many decades, if not centuries. And the guilt women must fight when they don’t fit into this specific image or aren’t considered to fulfill so-called aesthetic standards.
Even models have had their fill
For example, science journalist and model @jonala.lea: “This extreme ideal of slimness is to blame, this vague socially constructed standard from which we simply cannot break away. Not even despite all the contrary movements of the past years, despite all the self-acceptance and body positivity mantras”, she writes in a moving article for @szmagazin. This problem concerns women and men equally, I find when looking at male teenagers who are fighting so hard to obtain a daily fitness regime and a specific protein-filled diet to get a body that is considered attractive by today's society.
So … “What to do, what to do, what to do?” to quote A. A. Milne’sWinnie the Pooh, who didn’t mind his sweet little round belly. What to do, indeed? For my part, I decided to drastically restrict my time on social media to prevent me from comparing my body with influencers, models, or movie stars, as I currently do almost 24/7. This includes fashion magazines, certain TV shows, and gossipy news sites.
Too drastic, you think? Maybe. But, so much more peaceful, I realized last weekend when I traded my smartphone and Netflix for a book that allowed me to paint my very own images of the characters and their worlds I met on these 600 pages. For a very long time, I haven’t felt as relaxed and light as I did on Sunday, even though I had a bad conscience towards our business, as I completely neglected social media, my emails, and my WhatsApp that day.
A new approach to Social Media et al
This is why my business partner Alessia and I had a long talk the following day about our approach to social media, etc. We decided to support each other in social media breaks and in going on digital detoxes when needed, as we can only be at our very best when we follow our hearts. Long story short, reading more books, writing more poetry, strolling more through the woods again, and less consuming digital content is what my heart wants me to do. Which is why we wonder what your heart’s message might be. We’d love to hear back from you – our social media team is always available. And, should you feel inspired, we also love receiving handwritten letters.
The thought of going back to work on Monday fills some of us with frustration and loss of motivation: with these 5 tips, you might find it a little easier to get started.
