What the Olympics teaches about body image
*Cue music*
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
It's an Olympic year and who doesn't love the Olympics?
2 of my 3 children were born in Olympic years which as a new parent with a sleepless newborn, was like a gift from the heavens. Up at 1AM, 3AM and 5AM? No worries, there's always something on so no cheesey informercials to suffer through in the hopes of another "Big Bang Theory" rerun. Every time I find myself up in the middle of the night watching the Olympics, unable to push the POWER button and just go to bed, I get a little nostalgic for those late nights watching and cuddling our new little people.
Beyond nostalgia though, there are so so many reasons I love watching the Olympics.
My kids and I have been riveted to the television watching pretty much any sport that we can find. Gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball, and track have been the favorites so far but they also are intrigued by water polo, fencing, and rowing (the latter of which makes the former rower in me happy!) Even the obscure ones like the Steeplechase, which Hayden has now decided is the event he plans to participate in when he's in the Olympics, are entertainment worth watching.
Besides being good entertainment, what I love is that they're watching such inspiring examples of hard work, discipline, and good sportsmanship. They see the joy in the wins and the anguish at the defeats but even in those defeats, they see the handshakes after, the congratulations to the victors from their competitors. They ask questions about what they're seeing which gives us opportunities to talk about their good grace and attitudes even when they're sometimes disappointed in their own performance.
Beyond the role modeling, what I think I love the most personally about the Olympics is the diversity of shapes and sizes of the athletes. I don't generally spend a lot of time when I'm watching tv or a movie thinking about the shapes of the actors on the screen but that's probably partly because they're roughly the same body type - not mine. I may not be bothered on a daily basis the the litany of super skinny girls parading across my screen and I am on one level but I generally try not to think about it. It has certainly had an impact on me and I know it has an impact on the subconscious of everyone, most especially our kids.
In class, my Pop Culture students and I talk about the impact of seeing or not seeing people who look like you on screen. We spend time talking about the whitewashing that has historically existed on television and the ways that not only the absence of but also the characterization of actors on screen impacts viewers and society.
While the Olympics may not be every day television, for 2 weeks in August our tv sets were dominated by images of strength, dedication, and perseverance. They were also images of difference - different races, nationalities, body sizes and shapes and skills - and it is that difference that I want to salute.
For 2 weeks in August, I saw women who looked like me (well, ok, what I could look like if I trained for a living.) Women who were strong, who have arms that are bigger, meatier, more muscular. Women who have legs that probably also don't easily fit into skinny jeans. Women who are wider, stronger, more varied than the typical tv star. Women who can run circles around those little girls who typically dominate my tv screen. Women who make me WANT to tune in and be inspired. It's been a great 2 weeks for tv.
I'm going to miss the Olympics from an entertainment standpoint and because those strong women who have been briefly be featured on our magazine covers and cereal boxes are about to disappear back into their day jobs and we won't see them again on our screens until the next Olympic year.
I appreciate the 2 weeks we had with them. Here's hoping it's been enough to dent the psyches of our kids and ourselves. I know that it's bolstered my spirits and made me push harder in my workouts, to feel stronger and more empowered in my own skin and for that I am grateful.
#realwomen #rolemodels
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
It's an Olympic year and who doesn't love the Olympics?
2 of my 3 children were born in Olympic years which as a new parent with a sleepless newborn, was like a gift from the heavens. Up at 1AM, 3AM and 5AM? No worries, there's always something on so no cheesey informercials to suffer through in the hopes of another "Big Bang Theory" rerun. Every time I find myself up in the middle of the night watching the Olympics, unable to push the POWER button and just go to bed, I get a little nostalgic for those late nights watching and cuddling our new little people.
Beyond nostalgia though, there are so so many reasons I love watching the Olympics.
My kids and I have been riveted to the television watching pretty much any sport that we can find. Gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball, and track have been the favorites so far but they also are intrigued by water polo, fencing, and rowing (the latter of which makes the former rower in me happy!) Even the obscure ones like the Steeplechase, which Hayden has now decided is the event he plans to participate in when he's in the Olympics, are entertainment worth watching.
Besides being good entertainment, what I love is that they're watching such inspiring examples of hard work, discipline, and good sportsmanship. They see the joy in the wins and the anguish at the defeats but even in those defeats, they see the handshakes after, the congratulations to the victors from their competitors. They ask questions about what they're seeing which gives us opportunities to talk about their good grace and attitudes even when they're sometimes disappointed in their own performance.Beyond the role modeling, what I think I love the most personally about the Olympics is the diversity of shapes and sizes of the athletes. I don't generally spend a lot of time when I'm watching tv or a movie thinking about the shapes of the actors on the screen but that's probably partly because they're roughly the same body type - not mine. I may not be bothered on a daily basis the the litany of super skinny girls parading across my screen and I am on one level but I generally try not to think about it. It has certainly had an impact on me and I know it has an impact on the subconscious of everyone, most especially our kids.
In class, my Pop Culture students and I talk about the impact of seeing or not seeing people who look like you on screen. We spend time talking about the whitewashing that has historically existed on television and the ways that not only the absence of but also the characterization of actors on screen impacts viewers and society.
While the Olympics may not be every day television, for 2 weeks in August our tv sets were dominated by images of strength, dedication, and perseverance. They were also images of difference - different races, nationalities, body sizes and shapes and skills - and it is that difference that I want to salute. For 2 weeks in August, I saw women who looked like me (well, ok, what I could look like if I trained for a living.) Women who were strong, who have arms that are bigger, meatier, more muscular. Women who have legs that probably also don't easily fit into skinny jeans. Women who are wider, stronger, more varied than the typical tv star. Women who can run circles around those little girls who typically dominate my tv screen. Women who make me WANT to tune in and be inspired. It's been a great 2 weeks for tv.
I appreciate the 2 weeks we had with them. Here's hoping it's been enough to dent the psyches of our kids and ourselves. I know that it's bolstered my spirits and made me push harder in my workouts, to feel stronger and more empowered in my own skin and for that I am grateful.
#realwomen #rolemodels
Great article to read! You're right! Olympians come in all different body shapes and forms pending on their sport, that's what makes them be the most elite. It was a pleasure watching this past olympic games.
ReplyDeleteKylie