If you’re anything like the millions of Americans with an Instagram or Tumblr account, then you are probably familiar with the hashtag “fitspo” or “fitspiration,” a clever hybrid word combining the words “fitness” and “inspiration.” These terms have taken the social media world by storm.
Enter these neo-words into any search engine to discover a barrage of images depicting people “in shape” and their subsequent activities, mostly mirror selfies of chiseled abs, toned legs, and defined arms, maybe even a carefully staged photo of a salad and protein shake with the tag line: “Clean eating.”
It’s a small subculture within the expansive and ubiquitous cyber world of social media. If I wasn’t more than a little disturbed by it’s overtly misleading messages of “healthy” living and weight loss, I would have to say it’s quite impressive. But the fact remains that I am more disturbed than inspired by the pervasiveness of this new lifestyle trend.
Don’t get me wrong, the popularity of healthy living is a great shift. Our culture needs it, especially when the obesity epidemic has gotten to an alarming level. Not to mention, the cyber trend has probably motivated millions of individuals to positively change their lives. But this is not the case for everyone. In such an image-saturated society, where body ideals (for both men and women) are internalized as the definition of beauty, the lines get blurred between inspiration and obsession.
As someone who has seen eating disorders up close in family and friends, a widespread consciousness of self-will, control, calorie-counting, and stringent fitness regimen can be a trigger upon those who may be prone to obsessive-compulsive behaviors. For every dose of inspiration these images prescribe, there lies an undertone of non-acceptance.
Browsing social networks drenched in images of fit bodies do nothing more than leave the individual with feelings of inadequacy. As Claire Mysko from the National Eating Disorder Association mentions in her talks of detrimental side effects of fitspiration said, “You need to start from a place of self-acceptance. Most of this content is not promoting self-acceptance. It’s saying, ‘You’re not good enough. You have to do this better.’ You’re not going to feel good about yourself if you’re constantly immersed in that mindset.”
Also, fitspiration, in my opinion, bears a whole-bodied resemblance to “thinspiration” or “thinspo” (hybrid word joining “thin” and “inspiration”). This has been seen as promoting pro-anorexic or pro-bulimic behaviors with the popularization of such socio-cultural trends as the ‘thigh-gap’ and strict caloric restrictions.
It seems that while for the most part, as a well-intentioned catalyst for health and fitness goals, “fitspo” has come to symbolize just another cultural obsession with body image, stealthily hidden under the seductive guise of healthy living. Maybe “fitspiration” has elicited the much-needed motivation to take that 5 a.m. jog or the choice to opt for a lighter lunch. It simply depends on individual temperament and perspective.
There is a fine line between healthy living inspirations and regressive obsessions with weight loss, fitness, and caloric intake. In those blurred lines that are not always so easy to perceive, “fitspiration” becomes a hazardous ground to tread on. Words of advice: proceed with caution.