There are no Before & After photos around here, have you noticed that?
I am a pre & postnatal and women's health fitness professional, I work with women to help them feel, strong, confident & connected throughout their motherhood journey. I support them in transforming parts of their lives & health in ways that they desire.
In an industry (& world) where the focus is strongly placed on the look of women's bodies, this space is about our actual health, how we feel, how confident & capable we are, and about what we get to do in these wonderful bodies of ours.
There are no Before and After Photos here but you will see stories of....
- The Mama who can now pick up her baby pain free.
- The Mama who's mental health has improved as she's started putting herself on the priority list again.
- The Mama who had the confidence to join a soccer team for the very first time.
- The Mama who is working through injury and being thankful that she was strong before it happened.
- The Mama who views herself differently after challenging the stories she had about herself.
- The Mama who had no idea what to do post-birth and now feels re-connected with her body.
- The Mama who was lonely, who has now found her people.
It is my belief that before & after photos show such a small part of the story. They don't share any context or nuance, they don't drive us towards a better body image (in fact, I'd suggest they do the exact opposite) or a compassionate relationship with ourselves and they don't move us towards a culture in which we stop comparing women's bodies.
For some they may be inspiring. For some they are simply a tool to celebrate achievement.
For some, they are harmful. And Women and girls do not need any more messages or images that may be harmful, I mean I certainly know I don't.
I am absolutely here for celebrating women who achieve the goals they have, which may very well involve a physical transformation (hello autonomy). I'm just not here for putting two images beside each other and daring to suggest (either implicitly or overtly) that the woman in either image is better than the other.
I dare to believe that we can do better for women. We can share stories, we can celebrate each other, we can go after any goal we want and transform in ways that are incredible (if that's what we desire) and surely we can do it in a beautiful way that puts the way we think and feel about ourselves as the first priority.
Around here, you won't see before & after photos. We deserve better than that.
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