Fit is a Feminist Issue, Link Round Up #16

This is where we share stuff we can’t share on Facebook page for fear of being kicked out! Read why here.

Usually the posts are about body image. Why? Because those are the posts that usually have bare body bits in the image attached to them.

• N 2015, RESOLVE TO LOVE YOUR BODY

Thirteen brave Torontonians strip down and tell all about their journeys toward self-love. Find inspiration in their images and stories to jettison society’s toxic values and embrace the beautiful you.

• I’m Not a Pear: Why Categorizing Women’s Bodies Is Dumb

If you’ve ever opened a fashion magazine in your life, you know there are only three types of bodies in the entire world for every woman everywhere. Apple (bigger on top), pear (bigger on the bottom), and bananas (straight up and down). And if you don’t fit into that, then you’re an … hourglass. You know, that thing you’ve never seen in your life unless you’re an 18th century detective counting down the minutes you have left to solve the case before the blacksmith’s wife finds out you think she did it.

• Positivity Toward Your Partner’s Body Image May Help Them Lose Weight

Women often receive conflicting messages about body image. Cosmo will release article after article of how to lose those love-handles next to an image of a supermodel, meanwhile Bruno Mars sings over the radio that he loves you just the way you are. But researchers say it may all come down to loved-ones to influence a healthy weight change.

• I Am a Feminist and a Pole Dancer. Got a Problem With That?

I am a feminist (a feisty one) and a pole dancer (a sassy one). I don’t feel there’s a conflict. I am not a feminist scholar. Feminism and pole dance have many interpretations and mean different things to different people. My perspective on pole dance is recreational as a student and instructor. I don’t represent or disparage the exotic industry. That being said, pole dance is not exclusive to the domain of the gentleman’s club. Outside of its current role as a fitness activity, it has deep, historical roots from other cultures (see here). My definition of feminism is simple, Marie Shear’s quote “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”