There’s nothing wrong with swearing at any job. That’s not “profanity.” people can speak however the fuck they want and swearing shouldn’t be censored in the first place, it’s not “offensive,” no words are (aside from slurs and whatnot). “Swear” words shouldn’t be treated any differently than any other words.
There’s also nothing wrong with displaying your body however you want at any job or anywhere in general, as the body is also never offensive.
one day we will live in a society where my barista is completely nude and he calls me a bitch for ordering a pumpkin spice latte
this is a ramble. pls don’t critique me. just some thoughts bouncing around in my head.
sometimes it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that muscular girls are appreciated and found attractive now. Maybe it’s because I’ve just surrounded myself with a very inclusive group of athletic women, but still.
I’m not sure how to put these thoughts into words.
but for me, being a pre-teen/teenage girl, who was athletic. I was bullied. I was constantly called a man or a boy. At 14 years old, I often beat boys in swimming (which is common, because girls at that age have usually gone through puberty, and boys typically have not). It wasn’t cool to be that girl. It wasn’t cool when I beat my crush in the 200 butterfly at 15 years old, and I overheard his group of friends say “who cares if she beat you? she looks like a man anyway.”
or when I was at nationals for swimming at 16 years old and I watched a girl break a national record and heard a group of girls near me say “yeah she’s fast, but would you want to look like that? I’d rather be slow.” And they giggled as she walked past them.
When I was in college I listened to two of my teammates brutally make fun of girls with defined abs and how “they look like dudes, and it’s so nasty.” In the weightroom, I’d hear girls on my team say “It says to add weight this week, but I’m not going to, because my legs are already big enough.” I understand not all girls are into lifting, and that’s fine. But it struck me as somewhat sad that we’ve be taught to inhibit our own athletic success in fear of gaining muscle. Why commit 25+ hours a week to your sport? Why be a collegiate athlete? Why put in the work, only to cut yourself short over something so superficial? Our goal was to swim as fast as possible at the end of the season. I can guarantee the men’s team wasn’t secretly ignoring their weight programming for fear of getting stronger?
I remember trying on dresses and breaking down in fitting rooms because nothing fit my shoulders. I remember seeing a photo of me in skinny jeans when I was 16/17 and just crying because I never realized how huge my quads were and I wanted to be a little waif of an urban outfitters model.
So sometimes I feel like I’m contributing to something problematic by maintaining my fitblr and reblogging photos of muscular girls. But learning to love my naturally athletic build, my broad shoulders, and thick legs. Learning to accept that this is my body, and will always be my body. If I do any amount of exercise to be healthy, I will look “masculine.” I can’t help it. Seeing my blobby broad body in photos when I’m not flexing, and feeling totally fine with it. (muscular girls know what I mean, when you’re in a candid picture not flexing, in loose fitting clothes, you look overweight, or at least I do!!!). Idk man. Being able to feel empowered as an athletic female, has been one of the most incredible things that has ever occurred to me.
This isn’t me trying to be defensive. I know that me being muscular doesn’t affect my chances of getting a job. People don’t look at me and think I’m lazy. I’m not trying to claim body shaming, or compare it to any other situation of varying body types/weights.
I just think, specifically being a muscular/athletic 10-18 year old girl, is a really really challenging thing to overcome. Boys make fun of you. Other girls make fun of you. Being too competitive gets you made fun of. Being better than a boy gets you ostracized from friend groups.
I understand that at 20+ years old suddenly muscular woman are sexy; there’s a privilege to it… eventually. I understand that now, I do experience that privilege now (It’s also somewhat creepy at times, but that’s for another post). But, can we please appreciate our little girl athletes and let them know that what their bodies can accomplish is way more important than impressing some dweeb of a 12 year old boy??? You’re beautiful, but more importantly you’re strong-willed, dedicated, and capable of so many incredible things physically and mentally.
idk. that’s why I maintain my fitblr. that’s why I’m inspired by photos of strong muscular women. it’s not that I think muscular woman are the best, or that everyone should strive for that, not at all. it’s just that, some women are naturally muscular and they shouldn’t hate themselves for it. I like that there’s this community that applauds strong women. there was a time when I hated being an athlete; I didn’t want to be muscular. I want to remind myself of the power and strength of women (regardless of body type), and that that in itself is what is beautiful.
This is incredibly articulate. It’s crazy how much the dialectic of the ideal woman’s body has changed even in the past 3-5 years!
