Breaking Down the Societal Norms

Judgement and being critical of others is part of being human.  As much as each of us don't want to admit this, we all have done this at some point in our lives.  Some more than others.
I also am at fault with this flaw as I have both judged others and have been judged.  However, I will say that growing more into the sport of bodybuilding and realizing how judgmental society can be to female athletes, my personal judgements of others have definitely subsided and it has made me much more mindful of how society shapes others and controls how we think of ourselves and others.

Before bodybuilding, before weightlifting and my additional gains of muscle I looked like an average women.  Nothing spectacular or out or norm to see or look at.  However, when I began bodybuilding and putting on weight, size and muscle I began to get noticed and looked at more wherever I went.  From the grocery store, school, work, and mainly any public place that I would go to I began to notice more people staring, pointing, turning away and whispering.  At first, I really didn't mind the attention, but as I progressed in the lifestyle more I began to feel ashamed of how I looked.  I felt different and society has never made me forget that.

When you walk into a grocery store and overhear a lady tell her son "look at how disgusting that lady with muscles looks," or when you are pumping gas and a man comes up to you and asks "Are you a man or a woman" the comments begin to get annoying and a bit degrading.  You begin to see yourself differently and it takes a moment to realize that it is not any fault of my own but it is how society has cultivated others to perceive the social norms.

I chose to pursue bodybuilding because it helped me focus on something other than my eating disorder.  Bodybuilding saved me from my addiction to bingeing and purging and allowed me to invest my time into learning how to love my body and all that it has to offer.  As I have made huge improvement and progress in my recovery process from my bulimia, the shameful and hateful thoughts about my own personal self-image has yet again come into light because I look different than what it acceptable to "societal standards".

I think the point of this blog post, besides my rant about judgement is that no matter what path we choose to take in life, no matter what others may think about what you do, the strength of your own internal mindset is what needs to be controlled.  Almost daily I have to take a step back and breathe and thank God for letting me accomplish all that I have in my 25 years of life.  I have to tell myself that although I may not be everyone's ideal choice for looks or body type, it doesn't matter.  I have a loving fiancé who has supported me from the very start, my parents who accept my lifestyle and have accepted my crazy schedule into their lives and my close friends who understand that I am a bodybuilder, I may look a bit different than a typical 25 year old American female, however I promise you that like all women I very much deal with all aspects that an average 25 year old would deal with.

So next time you are casting judgement on others and voicing your opinion because you want to be an arrogant asshole or just curious about someone else's personal life choices, take a minute and reflect if it will make you a better person.  If your words and harsh stares and whispers are allowing you to gain anything out of life.  The answer most likely will be No.