Comments on Primal Matriarch HAS MOVED!!!: My take on Strong Is the New Skinny

Strength is far more important than merely working...

2011-07-20T02:37:21.998-07:00

Strength is far more important than merely working out to look good.

As a woman who is naturally thin, but not at all p...

2011-03-24T15:45:25.719-07:00

As a woman who is naturally thin, but not at all physically strong, I can see first hand how skinny does NOT equal happy, secure or sexy. I spent 16 years suffering fibromyalgia before learning how to force it into remission. Pregnant, Breastfeeding or both for 8 out of the last 9 years hasn't sped my recovery from pain and weakness into strength.

Strength is all that matters to me. There is nothing sexier than strength to me.

Strong is the new strong. love it.

I'm new to this "SINS" and crossfit ...

2010-12-09T12:54:28.201-08:00

I'm new to this "SINS" and crossfit world, but let me just say, I think the message was missed with taking the word "skinny" so literally.

The way I see it is not striving to be "skinny", but striving to have the body you were meant to have, your ideal body (from a fitness pov). With that being said, since society has idolized "skinny" as the ideal body type, being a STRONG woman, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. is what all women are, and the new "ideal". Being physically STRONG is just one facet of how women are truly amazing, imho.

So, personally, I've taken this SINS as a challenge to be the best "ME", in all areas of my life.

-JoJo G.

I agree with you that the message shouldn't be...

2010-10-22T07:33:39.068-07:00

I agree with you that the message shouldn't be about "skinny." After losing 50 lbs, I'm back to "skinny" but I don't feel strong OR fit. Both of those things are what I really want to be, and I think teaching girls to love their bodies for what they are, and take the best care of them as they can is a much healthier goal.

I want a "This is Crossfit" video of you...

2010-10-21T20:31:19.157-07:00

I want a "This is Crossfit" video of you- showing how awesome and strong you are. That would be an inspiration to all.

The movement doesn't bother me, and I am all f...

2010-10-21T19:13:51.531-07:00

The movement doesn't bother me, and I am all for encouraging strength. I get what they're trying to do.

But I also agree with what you've written. Why the competition? Why the categorizing? Let's all just get too busy being AWESOME!

This is great food for thought! For me, that adden...

2010-10-21T13:50:39.750-07:00

This is great food for thought!
For me, that addendum post is an important clarification because you (and obviously others) bring up a great point that there is no reason to demonize skinny in order to promote strong. The two do not have to be in opposition, because you can definitely be both.
All the same, I love the idea of promoting strength as an ideal to reach for, specifically because it is something everyone CAN control, instead of promoting a certain body type like the mainstream media does, because it is something we basically have no say in - Large frame/small frame, you get what you get.

So because of all that, I kind of love the message and am taking the inspiration with a grain of salt.

I can totally understand your semantic irritation though, and I think everyone has their hot button words/issues that get them riled up. In fact your post the other day when you showed that picture of yourself looking super fit and everyone was like "OMG YOU LOOK SO GOOD FOR 200 LBS THAT'S SO UNBELIEVABLE" kind of hit one of my hot buttons. Not because you don't look fantastic (because you do, OMG -- rock on with your bad self!) but because everyone was so hung up on the number and I just wanted to shout IT'S NOT ABOUT A NUMBER, PEOPLE! She doesn't look fantastic for a 200lb person, she just looks fantastic!

But then I got over myself and realized I was just being sensitive and moved right along :) haha

Thank you for your line about the evil connotation...

2010-10-21T13:29:59.259-07:00

Thank you for your line about the evil connotations of skinny. I'm genetically skinny and have struggled and am struggling with accepting that. I'm tired of the whole "real women have curves" idea. Real women are WOMEN. Why do we have to define it at all? Go on with your strong self! While we may be on opposite ends of the body type scale (ha! No pun intended.), you're an inspiration for bettering one's self because one wants to, not because society pressures one to.

Anon: I actually agree with you a bit and made not...

2010-10-21T12:29:18.510-07:00

Anon: I actually agree with you a bit and made note of it in my post a few times, so your point was indeed noted.

It's hard to draw the line between semantics and reconciling a gut reaction to something that just doesn't sit right.

I think you're getting caught up in semantics ...

2010-10-21T12:25:26.318-07:00

I think you're getting caught up in semantics and completely missing the point.

Here's the post...sorry! http://cavegirleats.c...

2010-10-21T11:14:51.553-07:00

Here's the post...sorry! http://cavegirleats.com/2010/09/24/strong-is-the-new-strong/

I took a bit of a different tone on my post RE: SI...

2010-10-21T11:01:28.501-07:00

I took a bit of a different tone on my post RE: SINS, but it just doesn't sit right with me for a few reasons. It's more the subtext of the whole idea that irks me. Like when I was six and I proclaimed to the world that I hated the popular girls...but secretly still wanted to be one. This in comparison to just liking MYSELF, not based on what I was up against or what I used to compare myself to.