We Are Stuck In The Middle.

In Texas it’s just cool enough not to sweat at 9 in the morning, but it’s still hot enough for the masses to walk around in strip tease clothing. People that have been told they are fit by society’s standards walk around in workout clothing, even if they haven’t worked out in weeks. 

It’s not enough to work your tail off. You have to be this image that coincides with bodyweight and shirt size.

The battle of insecurity that stems from societal standards used to be a battle waged more by women than men. Now both genders are forced to link arms as they walk into an onslaught of social beat-downs.

Female models and actresses are skin and bone mannequins that impose an idea of frailty. However, our society has attempted to thwart the idol worship of stick-figure people by condoning health hampering habits.

 I applaud anyone who tells the world that skinny isn’t the only way to be beautiful, but I scowl at them when they tell girls to destroy their bodies and ignore fitness in pursuit of “self-worth.”

The propaganda is equally disturbing on the male side. Buff gym-rats are taunted as ignorant sub-humans that spend more time doing curls than reading. What do male models normally look like? Square jawed men who have shapeless “skinny-fat” bodies. Even the male fitness models look as if they forgot to eat because they were running and doing pull-ups all day.

 The idea that being strong is manly has been executed in an attempt to cure insecurity.

Athletic-built women everywhere struggle to look in the mirror and say they are well crafted. On one side of the spectrum are these tiny-frail girls who bust their tails to stay miniature. On the other side of the spectrum are the crowds of females that justify body-abuse with claims of confidence. In the middle are the hard working, muscular, and strong women. Society has no place for women of this stature, and that’s disgusting.

Even more gut wrenching is the concept that what number pant size she wears, or what the scale says indicates her fitness level. 

Fitness should be recognized by the improvements she makes at every workout, not by how many pounds she weighs.

Now picture the world around you, supersaturated with nearly invisible clothing trying very hard to cover the bare minimum. Athletic women have few choices when it comes to fashion. They can either spend days lookingfor one outfit that works, they can wear baggy clothes, or they can opt for the “show the world what’s supposed to be only for my future husband” look.

Unfortunately the world would rather you show your butt so that a random male can get a sense of empowerment. Even workout shorts attempt to show as much and as little as possible at the same time.

But I’ll be honest. I used to wear cut-offs each time I lifted. Now I wear sleeves, and so does the entire MSU powerlifting club. My fiancé used to wear those short running shorts, but now she opts for the modest pair. She is a beautiful strong women who is very athletic.

She falls in the middle category that society has ignored. She works her tail off and has an impeccable fitness level. Although society claims that the fit look anorexic and sick she would prove otherwise. Fitness cannot be determined by size, but only by improvement in the day to day struggles.

As long as anyone continues to lift, run, and push themselves to be better they will gain fitness. Being built like an athlete is not a curse; it’s a blessing from God.

Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus..."