We live in such a superficial world where people ask me how they can get my arms and what they should be eating not because they want to be strong and healthy but because they like my look, they like my body.
Image is nothing. Train to be healthy because health is wealth.
I train hard because I love training and it's my job. But even if I wasn't a boxer I'd be training hard because I don't want to be my own obstacle in life. I grew up with a mother who was overweight and as much as she walked around with confidence and didn't complain about her body, I knew it bothered her that she couldn't do things with us because her body was her obstacle. My dad made a skating rink in our backyard one Christmas and all the kids on the street came to play on it. My mother was the only one who didn't. When we went camping and went bike riding, my mother never joined us. She was overweight and with being overweight came issues consequently, like high blood pressure, asthma, back problems, and bad knees. She missed out on experiencing life with us kids like my dad was able to and that was heartbreaking.
But back to the point I was actually trying to make...
It's not easy to step in the ring and go 6 rounds of sparring with a coach and fighter who knows all your strengths and all your weaknesses, and then be expected to step out and continue your training. Six more rounds but on pad work and then there's heavy bag work, working the speed bag, and of course killing your core with ab exercises that follows.
Snap a picture of that and post that. See how many likes you get.
But snap a picture of your face caked with makeup, your body barely tucked into your clothing, and you'll break the internet. Social media goes crazy.
Key word being "crazy" here.
Sex sells and sexy is the key apparently... it's not selling what I'm offering though and it's not unlocking what I'm fighting for. I don't envy the sexy girls on social media and I'm not hating them either. They're doing their thing but if your "thing" is just being sexy then, well, that's kind of sad. If all you have to give back to the world is good looks then I don't think that's very inspiring or beautiful at all.
Go inspire people.
Be inspired and inspire others.
I did a photoshoot for an upcoming ad for Empowered. It's just a simple flyer that probably won't even be printed but instead will be posted all over social media. I posed in a simple sports bra and leggings. Out of all the sports bras I had to pick from I chose one of the most cleavage-covering sports bras. And out of all the leggings I had to choose from, I picked a pair of most unflattering pants that were super baggy and ones I had to tie the drawstring up just so they'd stay up.
I looked like some kind of hip hop dancer.
I didn't want my photos to come out looking sexy or be bombarded with skin. I'm not a sexy person and I don't really show much skin. I wanted my pictures to represent me as me and I wanted my pictures of me to look like me, what I stand for and the type of person I strive to inspire others to be.
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