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Victoria Beckham's Workout Sends A Message
New York, 6:11 AM
Wed Dec 2
68 posts in the last 24 hours
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Victoria Beckham's Workout Sends A Message |
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10/30/09
She's sort of deluded and a little bit sad, in a way.
There are so many more interesting things to do with your time and money than spend it at the gym, worrying about how you look to everyone else. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
10/30/09
Discussing cultural attitudes about women's bodies, our obsession with thinness and how that relates to her statements is one thing.
Comments that judge her body are not. I may be concerned with how she's achieving it, I may wonder at her choice of words and what that means...but women's bodies are judged enough. Slim bodies are beautiful. Fat bodies are beautiful. We should be trying to weed that out of our discussions, not jump on the opportunity just because we're discussing something difficult. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
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10/30/09
Being in shape (for health) is great. But why can't we start believing that beauty comes in more than one size? Plenty of beautiful women photograph well without being radically underweight. (Tho I have no idea about Posh's weight). #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
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10/30/09
At first that seemed kind of odd to me, but then again, I've never had a digitally altered version of myself as a reference to be compared with. I imagine that would set up a strange kind of standard, an easy pitfall for someone with a weak self image. Especially with some of the extreme photoshopping we've been seeing lately! #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
although, i do think shes far too small according to *my* standards of what looks 'good'. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
10/30/09
Starving yourself isn't good, but neither is any compulsive behavior. Over exercising can harm your heart, your muscles, and cause injuries, especially if you're also limiting calories.
I'm not saying that's what she's doing, but the reasons for doing something matter in this sort of thing. ED's aren't just about what is done, but why it's done. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
BOTH my parents work out, almost every day, and the #1 reason is to stay healthy...and then secondarily to stay in shape. Very sad that Posh (who I happen to love) hasn't figured this out yet.... #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
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10/31/09
Victoria Beckham's definitely doing it wrong, though, since she clearly doesn't eat. She's a bit scary-looking without the extensive retouching that's always done on her face. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
to be fair, though, vanity is part of her job. it's a tax writeoff for her. for the rest of us, not so much. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
- whose sense of self-worth has been invested almost entirely in her looks, as is relentlessly reinforced in this culture;
- whose husband/BF has made disparaging or "threateningly appreciative" remarks about her body;
- whose boss punishingly reinforces the "you can't have healthy mind without 'healthy' (read slim) body.
Under those circumstances, I would argue that, however warped and Darwinian, it's a survival strategy. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
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10/30/09
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
10/30/09
And now she tells us she's working out because she wants to look nice in fashion magazines. One bad message after another, and yet people still say they find her honesty refreshing. I'm just hoping she's too old now for young girls to still be looking up to her. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
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10/30/09
I much prefer that to the tired celebrity message of, "Oh, I'm just a vegetarian with a really high metabolism." #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
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10/30/09
I would hesitate to say that exercising this much is unhealthy...because some people just love exercising and that's great. But I do think the reasons should matter...and obsessively doing anything, especially if part of that obsession may be an issue with being "imperfect" in some way, usually isn't good for emotional health. I mean...if she only worked out 5 days a week, would she feel like she wasn't as "good"? I think that is a scary message, really...that someone who looks like her feels like she has to do these things to be physically acceptable. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
10/30/09
Maybe she does just love the feel of it. But I think anytime the main reason for something is looks related, you're in dangerous territory. Our culture encourages an obsession with looks over health, or equating the two, and the idea of control through the body.
And I'm really not judging, I'm asking, because I think it's socially relevant. Athletes obviously make a living through keeping their bodies fit, and again, there is nothing wrong with exercise or slim bodies.
But I'm not criticizing or judging her body, really. I'm wondering about the reasons behind why, based on her statements, she seems to feel it -needs- to look this way to be acceptable to others. I think that's important, because I think women are steadily conditioned to think and valued themselves this way. Looking however the culture currently views as ideal is fine...but I would hope you could look back on yourself and think you looked good even if you didn't work out 7 times a week...and I would really hope that want to be proud of other things you've done besides the way you look. #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09
Exercising for the sole purpose of just looking good, not even feeling good, can be a little worrisome, though... #victoriabeckhambazaar
10/30/09