The problem with the images of perfection we see in the media is that they divide the world in two.
–
I recently saw this Image:
And then I read about the controversy that surrounded it.
The thing I took away was that for some people there exists two worlds.
The Two Worlds
The first world:
is made up of people that look like this
And This
And They Eat Things Like This:
And This
And They Post Things On Their Facebook Pages Like This:
And This
The Second World
is made up of people that look like this
And This
And They Eat Things Like This:
And This
And They Post Things On Their Facebook Pages Like This:
And This
If you read the internet then you probably think
This is what the first world thinks about themselves:
- I worked hard to get this body and I’m proud of it.
- I’m sexy and people like that, how could that be wrong.
- Life is about staying focused, being successful, and looking good.
This is what the second world thinks about themselves:
- It’s not my fault I’m overweight. It’s bad genetics, it’s McDonalds, it’s my kids etc.
- I hate that I’m fat, but I can’t change it.
- I look awful and feel awful about myself
- or
- I’m proud to be fat and I don’t give a crap what you think.
This is what the first world thinks about the second:
- Stop making excuses and start getting in shape.
- You have no one to blame for your weight but you. If you worked as hard as I do you could look as good as me.
- It sucks that people bully you, but what do you expect. If you really want to shut them up pick up a barbell and put down that fork.
This is what the second world thinks about the first:
- Those fitness models probably all have eating disorders.
- Fit people have OCD and they are all about shaming fat people.
- Those bodies aren’t realistic and they are causing people to hate themselves.
Well I’m here to tell you that all of this is:
BULLSHIT
We all live in one world where people look like this:
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And This
And They Eat Things Like This:
And This
And They Post Things On Their Facebook Pages Like This:
And This
And This
And This
And This
The One World
The world is complicated and diverse. But there is one of it.
So I encourage you to not put yourself in one group or another, but to see that we all long to be more whole, to be more connected, to be wiser, and to be more loving.
The problem with images like this
Is that they divide the world into two.
Those that make excuses and those that don’t
Those that work hard and those that don’t
Those that look like this and those that don’t.
But there aren’t two worlds, there aren’t two moons, and there aren’t two yous.
The you who you are and you who could be.
There is only you perfect and whole just as you are.
And everything you are, or have been, or will be is right there in the center of your chest.
Whenever you forget this –
Close your eyes
And say to yourself
May I be free from fear and anxiety
May I be at ease
May I be happy
Repeat this whenever you need a moment to love who you are right here right now
—
Originally appeared at Mind Fit Move
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All photos courtesy of Mind Fit Move
Ive worked in the organic health food industry for half a decade. The people in this industry also gravitate towards the fit side. While there is some righteousness I can say if you went up to 75% of them and had questions, wanted help or just wanted to chat they wouldn’t turn you away or snub you. They would also be real with you on the personal challenges they face. I believe in being fit, I believe in eating healthy- and by healthy I mean whole unprocessed organic foods. Because it is the #1 form of self love. You only… Read more »
There are 10 types of people in the World.
Those who can Count in binary, and those who can’t.
There are two types of people in the world:
Those who believe there are two types of people in the world
And those who don’t.
I dated the woman in the first pic. She had problems. I look like the first guy with a beard.
Thanks for the great article Samuel, First lets agree on Acceptance, then work on Tolerance and finally Peace. Picking sides is relevant when you’re playing pickup hockey, baseball, etc. Opinions are wonderful, we all have those. Don Miguel Ruiz makes it all seem so simple in the Four Agreements but DAMN they are hard to work on an everyday basis. The Four Agreements are: 1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. 2. Don’t Take Anything Personally Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their… Read more »
What a lovely reply. So much wisdom. Your comment inspired me.
Living in California, I see a lot of this binary thinking. I have lived long enough to see another delineation: young vs. old. I don’t care what I eat or how many hours I spend at the gym, at 67 I am not going to look like a 30-year old. As your pictures show, we humans are very diverse, which is probably why we still survive. It is lazy, selfish thinking that leads to simple binary solutions…
I love that this concept of binary keeps coming up. I think it’s so true. Our worship of youth means we lose so much wisdom that more mature people have to offer. I made a vow a long time ago to listen to and appreciate the wisdom of my elders and your comment reminded me why I do that. Thank you!
I do think there are two worlds: One with super fast internet speeds, & then mine. Why????? Safaricom mobile data. Why?????!!!
Good article.
This made me smile. That’s the down side to a heavy picture post.
Love it. This is thought provoking article for me, because it helps bring light to a discussion I often have with my wife. She thinks she’s fat: in my opinion, she’s not. She has some extra pounds; she doesn’t always eat healthy foods; she doesn’t exercise. I’m the same. I’d like to get motivated, get some exercise, eat healthier, and lose weight, but it’s because I want to feel better overall. I want her to do these things because I love her and I want her to feel good, too, (and to live forever). I also want her to have… Read more »
Paul, I really like your comment, especially the line “You’re OK the way you are; you’re OK if you decide to seek betterment for your own sake.” I often feel like I’m under attack from people who love to tell me that if I’m thin it’s not because I work hard at the gym (it’s privilege), that if I went to a good law school it’s not because I worked hard in college (it’s privilege), and that if I have a good job it’s not because I worked hard in law school (again, it’s usually privilege). I want to agree… Read more »
Privilege isn’t saying you didn’t work your ass off to get to where you are. It’s just saying that there are people with certain challenges in our society that would have had to work even harder and overcome even more obstacles than you did to get to where you are. I hate too that privilege sometimes gets used as a “you have it so easy” kind of thing, because really it’s meant to point out that there are people who struggle with challenges that we never even have to think about.
Good stuff. Now let’s extrapolate the lesson and stop divvying up the world into… – People that are married vs not – People that are straight vs gay vs bi vs trans vs asexual vs all/none of the above – People that are partnered monogamously vs polyamorously vs not – People that are conservatives vs progressives – People that are religious vs irreligious – People that appreciate labelling themselves with some sort of ideology (feminist, MRA) vs not I could keep going on…but the point is, all these divisions are essentially and ultimately BULLSHIT. Why are they bullshit? Because they… Read more »
Agree with this article so much – excellent use of contrasting images too. My spouse and I increasingly feel ‘left behind’ by a culture dominated by binary, exclusionary thinking. So instead, we create our own culture. Turned off the television, put down our phones, and focus on reading, plays, performance art, playing sports rather than watching them, spending time with our family. The more we turn away, the better we feel.
That’s awesome Frederick. One of the reasons I moved to portland was that there are so many people like that here. Thanks for you comment!
Fantastic. Enough of the binary thinking. We are all constantly being invited to pick and side and fight it out. Why? Because every time we fall for it and pick a side, someone makes a profit center out of that conflict.
Thanks Mark. I agree I think we are too easy to start a fight when we really all want a happy life. Thanks for your comment.
Wow, even that first picture pissed me off. You’ve got it right. There are people who look like that woman, but she’s got an army of help and some photoshop masters to boot. This plugs right into Brené Brown’s wonderful piece on woman’s shame. Do it all, kids, work, workout, dinner, and still please your man in the evening. And NEVER show you’re working at it.
I hate this kind of “marketing.” And we know the “health” of many of these models is not that healthy. (men and women)
Thanks for the post. Well done.
Thanks for you comment. I love the perspective of the model it creates for women. It’s not something I had thought about much when I wrote the post but you are absolutely right. It’s an old perspective and not a very enlightened one at that.