Madelyn Meyer
Dr. Moody
English 150
6 December 2017
Fake News: Skinny Equals Fit When talking about fitness Khloe Kardashian said, “Fitness is not about being better than someone else...It's about being better than you used to be”. Kardashian is making a statement about how people need to stop comparing themselves to others when trying to get fit. Fitness is more than just appearance because it’s about staying healthy and not conforming to society's ideas of ideal bodies. People should focus on themselves, but often this doesn’t happen because of social media. Social media is defined as computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities …show more content…
Simpson found that, “It was clear that health/fitness magazines, such as Women’s Health, Fitness, and Shape, offer little more than a repackaging of the thin-ideal images that have long been associated with beauty/fashion magazines. These magazines’ readers are exposed to messages that contribute to a system of meaning that places value on thinness and celebrity” (12). This shames women who do not meet the standards and creates an unattainable cultural beauty ideal. The study has results that show body-image and weight-loss magazine content emphasizes appearance rather than health. Fitness magazines equivalate health and wellness to being beautiful, thin, and fit. As a result, people may start to worry about being skinny because they think it’s healthy, when this isn’t true. Thomas Oben in his article titled, Fitness vs Fatness – Being Skinny Doesn’t Mean You’re Fit, writes “Studies are now beginning to show that people who are thin, but yet physically unfit die three times earlier than those who are a few pounds overweight yet are physically fit...when a person combines a healthy diet along with a fitness program, odds are the weight will naturally come down as a result, lowering the health risks.” This supports the idea that just because people are thin, they are not necessarily healthy. It also goes along with the previously stated idea that to lose weight and still be fit, an individual must also change their diet and not just increase physical activity. It is important to look at Body Mass Index, BMI, when defining fitness. BMI can tell an individual if their weight is too low, normal, or too high for their height, which can help determine true
Dr. Moody
English 150
6 December 2017
Fake News: Skinny Equals Fit When talking about fitness Khloe Kardashian said, “Fitness is not about being better than someone else...It's about being better than you used to be”. Kardashian is making a statement about how people need to stop comparing themselves to others when trying to get fit. Fitness is more than just appearance because it’s about staying healthy and not conforming to society's ideas of ideal bodies. People should focus on themselves, but often this doesn’t happen because of social media. Social media is defined as computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities …show more content…
Simpson found that, “It was clear that health/fitness magazines, such as Women’s Health, Fitness, and Shape, offer little more than a repackaging of the thin-ideal images that have long been associated with beauty/fashion magazines. These magazines’ readers are exposed to messages that contribute to a system of meaning that places value on thinness and celebrity” (12). This shames women who do not meet the standards and creates an unattainable cultural beauty ideal. The study has results that show body-image and weight-loss magazine content emphasizes appearance rather than health. Fitness magazines equivalate health and wellness to being beautiful, thin, and fit. As a result, people may start to worry about being skinny because they think it’s healthy, when this isn’t true. Thomas Oben in his article titled, Fitness vs Fatness – Being Skinny Doesn’t Mean You’re Fit, writes “Studies are now beginning to show that people who are thin, but yet physically unfit die three times earlier than those who are a few pounds overweight yet are physically fit...when a person combines a healthy diet along with a fitness program, odds are the weight will naturally come down as a result, lowering the health risks.” This supports the idea that just because people are thin, they are not necessarily healthy. It also goes along with the previously stated idea that to lose weight and still be fit, an individual must also change their diet and not just increase physical activity. It is important to look at Body Mass Index, BMI, when defining fitness. BMI can tell an individual if their weight is too low, normal, or too high for their height, which can help determine true