Girls who lift & Guys who comment – The Instagram Paradox
We, who are ‘into fitness’ and ‘into Instagram’, we all have been there. You are fit. You love lifting weights. You are in love with the progress, watching your own body transform, getting stronger, and building more muscles. People with a similar story or transformation like me, you understand what I mean.
But what I don’t understand are these people who look at your pics, even make the effort to comment or slide into your DMs to tell you that they don’t like what they see.
Some of my top comments in this bizarre category:
“But don’t get too big”
“You are too muscular”
“Your arms are too big for a girl”
“That is not feminine/beautiful anymore”
“Why do you lift so many weights? Women shouldn’t do that…”
I could continue this list forever…
OK, one more: I posted a video where I was flexing. I received a message from a guy telling me that flexing muscles are something male did in evolution to deter danger and that women should not do that.
I was partially amused that someone actually wastes his time to send me comments like this. Maybe I am flexing to deter morons… or scare the pre-evolutionary monkeys hiding into some guys’ heads.
Why should I care?
Unless you are my mother, my husband, or my personal trainer why should I care what you have to tell me about my looks and my body?! (Although my mother stopped telling me what she thinks about my body, my sports or my tattoos, we agreed that we disagree and that is OK – my body, my choices 😀 and she said ‘when you are happy with yourself and your body than I am happy for you’)
Back to the random people out there: why should I care if you find me attractive or not, random person on the internet. It might come as a surprise for you, but I am not working out to impress you. It is my life and my body. I am actually such a nice person who shares her development on social media, and I ALLOW you to watch.
You are very welcome.
Sure, you are very welcome to have your own opinion. It is solely your personal preference and you decide what you like and what you don’t like. This might come as a surprise to you, but… I DON’T MIND TO HEAR because I don’t know you. I might repeat myself here (so do the comments on my Instagram) but it is my body and these are my choices.
Don’t you like what you see?
Then please look away!
I don’t force you to watch.
I don’t force you to follow me.
And I don’t ask you to comment on my body.
Why should I care if a stranger thinks that I am attractive or not? Why should I change my life or my training or my body, just because some random people tell me to do so?
Do you see how ridiculous this is? What do you expect from commenting this kind of things? Why should I or any other girl listen to you?
It’s paradox.
You don’t like what you see, but you are watching anyway. You don’t know the person you try to criticize, but you want them to adapt to your very personal narrow-minded opinion?! This is why I call it the Instagram paradox.
Why should anyone do that? What do you expect to happen?
Do you think that any girl out there would ever answer:
“Oh yes, random stranger, whoever you are. Thanks for telling me, I was not aware that my personal fitness and lifestyle goals do not comply with your preferences. I will change my life right away… what would I do without you, my savior? I am a mess, thank you so much.”
In this weird utopia universe where you expect an answer like this, she will probably shoot you another message out of pure gratitude asking you to send her a dick pic, because that is the other thing that every girl desperately wants to receive from random strangers on the internet – simply because detail shots of erected naked genitals are usually a bulletproof tactical move to win every woman’s heart within seconds – they will literally jump on a plane within the next day to fly out in the world to find you.
(In this second while I am writing this, I am pretty much praying that everyone reading this understands the underlying sarcasm of this paragraph)
Girls who lift
All you girls out there, just do whatever makes you happy. Workout as much or as less as you want. Post 10 pictures a day, or only one I a week. Show off your gains or don’t. Pose in underwear or in sweatpants. Your choice, your life. I am happy when you are happy. I like to see happy people on social media.
Guys who comment
Gosh, I hope you read this whole post and think twice before you force your opinions on others. I know that there are many good guys out there who like what they see and appreciate the work that we, girls who lift, put in. I also receive comments and messages from you guys, and I am very happy about your support and the motivation you send me day in and out.
