Cassey Ho serves as an inspiration for many women — and men! — looking to get fit with her series of YouTube workout videos. However, she’s noticed lately that more and more people are commenting on her looks rather than her workouts.
The comments prompted her to create a a new video, The “Perfect” Body, which shows Ho stripping down to Photoshop all of her “flaws” into something acceptable for public consumption.
“Photoshopping and body image — all of that — is such a big problem that a lot of girls deal with because magazine covers are Photoshopped, and even people on Instagram Photoshop their photos,” she tells People of what inspired her to make the video. “Our friends, our families and just random commenters can really change how we feel about our bodies, and make us feel insecure.”
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That’s all true, but what’s more concerning is that now even fitness bloggers and trainers aren’t even good enough — not thin enough, not enough booty, not built enough — etc., etc., etc. The problem is that many of these Instagram and YouTube fitness celebrities have created this image that only shows them in their most perfect form all the time. You rarely see the real struggle that it takes to get there, so the viewing public’s perception is skewed into assuming that being “perfect” is as easy as turning on a light switch.
Spoiler alert: It’s not… and it’s unhealthy to criticize these fitness bloggers as not good enough because yes, it’s body shaming, but also because they have thousands — sometimes even millions — of people that follow them as inspiration. If these focused athletes aren’t good enough, then where’s the hope that any of us can achieve our fitness goals? It’s a dangerous shaming path to venture down.
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That’s why Ho’s dive into the smoke-and-mirrors world of Photoshop is so important. She dares to be real and shows that “perfect” takes on many forms and there really is no one ideal, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. The ones we need to look up to are the ones who dare to keep it real and show that beauty comes in all weights, heights and fitness levels — not just in an eight-pack or sculpted thighs.
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