Health has become fetishised on social media by ‘fitspiration’ devotees posting pictures of ‘clean’ food and gym-tight abs. But does the trend inspire better living – or is it promoting a new form of body fascism?
Last week, after a cancer benefit honouring her doctor friend, the singer Pink shut down critics who said she had gained weight with a tweet declaring that she felt beautiful and secure. It was a rare moment: a celebrity openly acknowledging the trolls, straight from her phone, then choosing to ignore them and look after her “healthy, voluptuous and crazy strong body” instead.
Pink’s mainstream use of the word “strong” is worth noting; the mantra “strong is the new skinny” has been gaining currency online among female gym devotees for some time now. Its everyday popularity – popping up on Facebook, slogan shirts and fitness books – signals a move away from “thinness” in favour of a more achievable, “real” body, led not by magazines but by social media.
Related: Our obesity crisis won’t be solved by ‘fitspiration’ | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
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SOURCE: Eating disorders | The Guardian – Read entire story here.
