My Kind of Swim Suit Season Motivation

Please be aware that a majorly snarky post is about to appear below.  If you are not in the mood for some serious snark, I suggest you click away from this page immediately.  You have been warned...

A few times recently on the FacePage, I've seen friends or friends of friends posting "motivational" photos.  Intended to, I don't know, encourage a "bikini body" come warmer days, or what have you...these photos have included images like this:

And this:

Now, if you ask me, neither of these images are particularly "motivational."  Unless they are intended to motivate me to hire a really awesome photoshop guy who can turn all of the photos of me into flawless images of perfection.  Unlikely in any realistic case, but I digress.

The thing is... we ALL know that image #1 is a photoshopped and idealized image of the most idealized of women to begin with.  Translation - this woman is already considered "perfectly beautiful" - even without retouching.  Then, to make us normal chicks feel even worse, the photographer gets rid of the few blemishes or flaws that she might have, then presents her to us as a "motivational ideal?"  Yeah, I really don't think so.

Image #2 is a slightly different story.  I get that it INTENDS to be motivational.  I even note that the woman in the shot seems to have cycling tan lines on her legs (woohoo!)... but, it's actually a pretty negative campaign.  If you don't pick up weights and look like this, you're somehow NOT doing something you should be.  It's a put down to those who "don't" look like this.

Sure, maybe (and that's a really BIG maybe) I could look like her if I were able to spend my workday in the gym, with a trainer.  And, of course, I would probably need to have a nutritionist (maybe even a personal chef) to ensure that I don't slip into my normal human routine of a coffee in the morning and maybe even a splurge of frozen yogurt at night.  Nope, none of those things could be allowed.  And, of course, my body would have to be capable of looking like that. What?  What's that you say?  You think that EVERYONE in the world can have a six-pack set of abs just by working out sufficiently?  Hmmmm... amazing then, that more of them aren't floating around out there, eh?

No... I find images like THIS to be motivational:

Or this:

Or even, this:

Please notice that these images are also of lean, muscular, and beautiful women.  Yeah, they might have six-pack abs under that jersey, but I don't know because it's not about what their bodies look like, it's about what they do with those bodies.  That's where I draw my motivation.  From a desire to push myself to my limits like they do.  A desire to FEEL good about my body and myself.  Those images up top do NOT make me feel good in any way, shape, or form.  They make me, and many other women, feel lacking.  And no one should feel that way about themselves.

Sure, it helps keep me healthy and at a lower weight than I would be if I didn't ride my bike or swim or lift weights.  And, that makes me feel happy - just like any other human being.  But, there's a thin line between feeling healthy and happy as I am, and being pushed to desire to look like something that represents one percent of one percent of one percent of the population.

So, find your motivation where you will (even if it's in the Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Catalog).  I'll continue to look for it in the amazing women that are around me and motivate me every day.