The Beautiful Truth
The other day, in a session with two of my favorite women (I have many favorite women, these were definitely 2 of them), I started chatting about my upcoming launch night for #JFACE, where I will discuss my ambitions and initiatives for Train Your Inner Warrior as we set out to change the lives of Jewish Women through fitness, fashion and fun.
As we discussed my proposed active wear line, urban cool meets gym iron (but we'll get to that more anon), in some context pertaining to these ideas, I uttered the word "beauty", immediately one of the women stopped me short," I don't like beauty as an idea for girls ... I want to think more of their strength" she then disclosed her feelings on the sociologically imposed ideas of beauty.
I listened: My interest peaked, as this subject is one I work with on many levels everyday of my life.
Recalling current campaigns regarding women's beauty and strength, exclaiming "Strong is the new thin"... generally printed above or below a picture of a woman holding a weight, with a six pack and so little body fat she may not actually be menstruating... I began to roll this basically problematic notion around in my head. If strong is in fact the "new" thin, whatever that means... where does it leave thin girls? Where does it leave round girls? Where does it leave ANY girl who does not have a six pack and separated hamstrings and glute muscles?
As a figure athlete, I cannot say this woman is NOT a picture of beauty, however, I do pose this is not THE picture of beauty.
No more so than the 24 inch waist-ed, clothes-hanger- Kate Moss-esque bodies of the 80s and 90s.
The truth is, if we are really going to talk about strength and beauty, and use them in the same sentence, perhaps we would do better to think a bit more profoundly than how much skin is covering our abdominal.
As I am a big fan of creating your own ideas, your own thoughts, and your own destiny my thoughts are; rather than giving our girls a pre-decided, sociologically super-imposed visual of what beauty and strength are, let THEM create their own.
Earlier in my research for the TYIW/JFACE Launch, I asked another one of my favorite women (told ya, there are several), what she does to feel beautiful, explained she feels best when she looks like art, for example; When her look has a through line of a piece of art, colors, textures, fits etc.
Somehow the idea of teaching girls how to build their bodies, their look, and their brains like a work of art seems very appealing. They choose what they like, they put it together, they bring it to life, they learn, and it is theirs rather than something someone else said it had to be.
I know I'm reaching here, yet, I'm gonna keep trying like HELL to make this a THING. Working with these young girls to put a clothing line together which makes them feel strong, pretty, happy, and working with them to create exercise programs which build their bodies for fun, strength, and functionality. Finally, helping them find the culture of thinking, and social support to make each one of these facets "beautiful".
It is about THEM creating their artful beauty, not what I, or any other outside source decides.
And it just so happens I know a few really amazing photographers, so perhaps we can make our own poster- "Beautiful is You" ... with a picture of whatever artful truth we choose to call beautiful.