We all know the internet is rife with ridiculous claims, weird hobbies, and memes we wish would just disappear into the throes of time rather than continually show up on our newsfeed. I know from a personal standpoint, I’ve now developed a Pavlovian reaction to the week leading up to my birthday because I’m bracing myself for the inevitable onslaught of “It’s gonna be May” memes.
Ah, the joys of a late April birthday. If you’re not in finals, you’re slapped in the face with Timberlake memes.
So today I thought I’d share some stuff that made me balk, stare at my screen, or turn to whoever was nearby and cry out: ‘have you SEEN this shit?!’
Let’s start with this god-awful thing:
Here are my thoughts: incredible way to take two complex, multi-faceted issues in our modern society, and twist them around into your fat-shaming message.
This picture is not a new picture. It’s a “classic” meme photo, and is used in a lot of cries of ‘what is HAPPENING to US!’ despite the fact we know very little about this photo. It’s a classic fat-shaming image used for a lot of fat jokes.
That’s just the tip of the ice berg.
Next, let’s look at the message here. If we REALLY care about children? Why does caring for children have to be either we don’t want them shot in school, or we want to limit a person’s basic freedom to choose what food they want?
There are more issues at play when it comes to “regulating food” just than “hey asshole, don’t eat that, let’s tax it”. You need to look at economics, family dynamics, nutrition education, and the overworking of the lower classes when looking at this.
You can’t just share this meme, think you’re woke, and move on and not do anything.
Here’s another really ridiculous thing I’ve seen:
Brightside’s article on how to lift and keep your ‘feminine body’.
What the hell is a feminine body?
I grew up big, broad, and was never really considered feminine because of it. I like my body and it took a long time to get there. And my body is perfect for lifting.
So when I see articles like this I tend to purse my lips and shake my head. Lifting cannot, and will not, make you bulky unless you utilize chemical enhancers to give you a hand.
If you want to lose weight, lifting and cardio is your best bet. Yeah, there are different ways to lift if you want to look a certain way (body building does not an Olympic lifter make) but overall, you’re not going to look “manly” or “less feminine” to anyone except shallow assholes who would rather focus on what YOU’RE doing in the gym rather than staying in their own lane.
If you are really concerned, get a personal trainer or a coach, don’t listen to pseudoscience articles on the internet.
It’s no secret that the internet is the place to go for faux nutrition and fitness news, incorrect assumptions about public health, and the like, so these articles aren’t far from the norm. However, these are definitely the two I thought about the most when I ran into them.
What was the most recent online eye-roll you’ve seen? Share them in the comments below, I want to hear!
As always, do your homework, eat a vegetable, and don’t forget to smile at someone today. See you soon!
Center Stage Nutrition 
Love this post!! Also I’m reading through that ridiculous Brightside article: “We mentioned above that squats with heavy weights can ruin your waist. But it’s not only about your waist — it’s also about your legs. First, intensive exercises can make your hips look less feminine and bulky. Second, heavy weights can ruin not only your figure, but can also do harm to your knees and lower back, as well.” or about shrugs “It sounds nice, but be careful since wide shoulders look good on men, not on women.”.
Seriously?! I was hoping it would be an article that talked about how lifting weights, especially heavy weights will add muscle tone, strength, and natural curves. Also, I have been lifting heavy-ish for the past 6 years and am still waiting for the day that my shoulders would get wider and my legs to get bigger. I would be so lucky!
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Thank you so much! I saw that meme and knew I had to write something about it, alongside with the article. The internet is rife with misinformation and I’m with you- I’m waiting for all these supposed changes myself! 😛
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