Comments (10)

By Samantha Thomas, November 30, 2010

We have just had a very interesting conversation on Twitter about photo’s that appear of politicians going for their morning swim.

In Australia, the leader of our opposition party Tony Abbott is a big fan of exercise. And the media loves taking pictures of him going for a swim, riding his bike etc.

However, Abbott in his Speedo’s has become a bit of a national topic of interest – with even his wife banning him from having his photo taken in them. And when pictured in his togs after a swimming event, media suggested that Abbott could have covered up.

Our new Premier in the State of Victoria Ted Baillieu is also a fan of the early morning swim. The media regularly shows pictures of him in his Speedo’s emerging from the water. Now whatever you think of Abbott and Bailleu’s policies (they are both conservative, and Abbott has a few things to say about obesity and personal responsibility), it is interesting that there seems to be a lot of comment about their bodies. This morning on the radio, the two DJ’s were chatting about how Ted could do with a spray tan. One radio station also ran a poll asking ‘Ted Bailleu or the Hoff – who would you rather see in a pair of budgies’ with this picture attached:

Now I suspect that this ‘fit and healthy’ ‘fit to lead the country’ imagery is pretty good for both Abbott and Baillieu. The strong masculine leader image helped Russian leader Vladimir Putin a lot!

But I wonder what the media reaction would be if our female Prime Minister Julia Gillard was pictured coming out of the surf each morning after early morning swims. Or was in her trackie daks going for a walk around Canberra each morning. Remember that Australia is a country that has a huge amount of adoration for our female swimmers. They are massive icons in this country. We also love to be known as physically active, healthy people.

But would Gillard receive positive attention for engaging in physical activity, or would more attention be on how much she was covered up, what her cossie was like, and how much cellulite she may or may not have on her thighs?

When searching for an image of Julia, I typed in Julia Gillard, and I was automatically offered “Julia Gillard earlobes” “Julia Gillard cartoon” “Julia Gillard ugly” and “Julia Gillard hot”.

I’m guessing that the issue of appearance would be pretty high on the agenda!

Comments (60)

By Samantha Thomas, November 28, 2010

I’ve had AMAZING bloggers block this week. It might be due to the fact that I’ve started a new job (SQUEEE!!) and have been a bit busy settling in and getting to know everyone.

But this morning the drought is over. All because of one little made up word.

Someone had linked me to an article about the sexualisation of women, which had misused the word “slutty” (in her opinion and in mine). But there in the middle of the article was this word which really caught my attention.

VA-JAY-JAY.

Until yesterday I had never heard of this word (yes I live in a total culture isolation cave!!). Here is how the word was used:

“The display included one squatting store mannequin who was flashing rather a lot of va-jay-jay. Not literally, as she was wearing a pair of micro utility shorts and of course, most store dummies aren’t that anatomically accurate. But anyone walking past the boutique was confronted by the mannequin’s crotch and it did seem a little in-your-face. Not to mention vulgar.” (Frockwriter, 26th November 2010)

Now firstly, I had to read and re-read the sentence a few times. I couldn’t work out whether she meant Vulva or Vagina. And then, given that this was a blog that was meant to be pro-women, I was totally stumped about why she wouldn’t use either of those correct terms.

So, after a desperate call on Twitter for some edumacation about this word, this is what I learned:

1. Apparently it is an Oprah ‘ism’ – A word that Oprah made up to describe her own genetalia.

2. Then it was used in Grays Anatomy as a way of getting round US censors who wouldn’t let the word Vagina be used more than once in an episode.

So even in a medical telly show we are not allowed to use the correct words to describe female genitals? Can someone tell me how the word Vagina (or Vulva) is different from Arm, Leg, Liver, Spleen etc etc etc.

The word Va-jay-jay now seems to be used pretty widely as a cutesy descriptor. And we now have spin-offs, such as Vajazzle! Jennifer Love Hewitt recently spoke about decorating her bits (I use bits because I’m not sure which bits she is actually referring to):

“It’s called vajazzling,” she said. ‘After a break-up, a friend of mine Swarovski-crystalled my precious lady and it shined like a disco ball… Women should ‘vajazzle’ their vajay-jays, I am currently vajazzled… It’s cute.”

You can even buy tee shirts with the slogan ‘I heart Va-jay-jay’ on them.

And now Va-jay-jay seems to be a new favourite word for magazines like Cosmo, which they emblazon all over their covers (generally hovering somewhere over the celebs crotch).

So, I guess my question is, why do we find it so hard to use the word Vagina? Men and women have always had nick names for their genitalia, but why do we find the ‘correct’ words so difficult to use in public? Studies have consistently shown that well over half of women feel awkward, uncomfortable and embarrassed when the use the word ‘Vagina’. And other studies suggest that even in gynaecological appointments, doctors and patients very rarely utter the ‘V’ words.

So is the popular use of words like Va-jay-jay merely reinforcing that words like Vagina and Vulva are still socially unacceptable, and taboo topics for discussion? Or are they merely just a bit of fun?

On the flip side, do slang words actually allow us to talk more freely about sexuality, and sexual health without embarrassment?

What do you think?

Comments (80)

By Samantha Thomas, November 18, 2010

For those of you following my foray into the world of personal trainer privilege,  I am please to announce that today I had my 2nd session with my fitness buddy Luke.

So here is the low down. I didn’t break a sweat. I didn’t do any running or jumping or jiggling about.

I may have smiled a bit. And I may actually have even had a bit of a laugh. I may have found it a bit tricky to stop chatting and to focus on what he was telling me to do  (but I’m going to work on that).

The first thing Luke did was some kind of flexibility test. I don’t really understand what he was looking for, but basically my flexibility isn’t fabulous. So that is my outcome measure over the next few weeks. And as I get more flexible then I will be able to start to work on my strength. So last night we did lots of stretchy type activities. Academically it’s kind of like learning a new language. It’s helping me to listen to my body, by showing me what I should be listening for (if that makes sense).

We also had a great chat about making gyms a more friendly space for people with all different body shapes and sizes. I would say I was probably in the top 15% of fattest people at my gym yesterday. And when everywhere you turn in the gym there are messages about thinness (in the bathrooms where there are ads for bread telling you to get rid of rolls and have slices instead, and in the gym magazine where most of the ads are for slimming supplements). It isn’t hard to see why a) people go to the gym wanting drastic weight loss, and b) why many people find gyms some of the most stigmatising spaces for people who don’t conform to the thin ideal. Personal trainers are also pretty expensive for the average person, so maybe without subsidies for this type of help, we might just be exacerbating health inequalities between people like me who can afford a trainer (even for a short while) and those who will always find this an incredibly expensive luxury.

Physical activity is the most important thing you can do for your health and wellbeing (apart from not smoking) – no matter what your size. A recent study which reviewed the results of 40 studies on physical activity just released in the International Journal of Clinical Practice showed that even 30 minutes of moderate activity (like walking) five days a week is one of the most powerful “lifestyle choices” you can make. That’s not running a marathon or pounding it out on the treadmill to nowhere… it’s just about getting your body moving. And it doesn’t have to be in the gym either! And this isn’t the first study that has shown this. You all know the ‘fit and fat’ vrs ‘thin and inactive’ studies. And the ones which show that physical activity is sensational for your mental health, and the latest studies which show how awesome physical activity is for your immune system too!

So… if I know that physical activity is sooooo good for me, why do I read studies like this and come up with a bunch of excuses about why it is just way too difficult to fit in that 30 minutes a day into my life.  I don’t have time. I’m tired. I can’t be bothered. I’ve had a bad day…  etc etc etc.  If we know that something is SO GOOD for us, why do we find it so hard to act upon it? Most people are far more supportive of physical activity than commercial dieting as a way of improving health, and yet most will still turn to dieting rather than activity as a way of improving their health.  Is it that we just don’t care enough about our health? Is it that we have so many other priorities in our lives that things just drop down the list of things we need to do? Is it that we have just received so many mixed messages about what is important in terms of health outcomes (ie being skinny) that we just don’t listen to the messages any more, or take up unhelpful solutions (like dieting) which actually have no benefit for us at all? Is it a question of stigma (which you all know is one of the main reason I think some people don’t get involved in activity).  Maybe it’s that we have been constantly sold that we have to be thin to then get involved in activity? Am I just totally fatigued by people telling me what to do with my health all the time?

So, what do you think? Why is it hard to incorporate physical activity into our lives?

In the meantime, I will keep working on my flexibility, and hopefully in a few weeks I might just be able to touch my toes !

Comments (38)

By Samantha Thomas, November 12, 2010

I’m paying him. And technically I guess he calls himself a Personal Trainer – but to me, he is someone who will teach me new things about my body and what it can do over the next few weeks and months. This is not a weight loss journey. This is about helping me to find exercise that I enjoy, and that is personal for me.

As you know I’ve been quite critical of my particular gym, that I affectionately call ‘Fatloss’ First, and their marketing strategies. It doesn’t stop me going there, but to be honest, the gym is a bit of a scary space. Gyms always make me feel like I’m not quite good enough. That really they are a place for super fit skinny’s and muscle dudes. Most of the classes at my gym involve yelling about how fun the exercise is, getting a super butt for summer, and burning calories. I don’t want those messages to be honest. I want a place where I can go and just have a good time, and hopefully get a bit fitter and healthier in the process. Mostly I love the gym for my mental health – that I can go and just be in a space where I can get out all of my frustrations from the day and also get moving. I tend to go to the RPM (cycle) classes, which I enjoy, but probably because they are in the dark, have no mirrors, and I can hide up the back and just enjoy myself. That plan was slightly derailed a few weeks back when the cycle instructors girlfriend tried to get me to come and sit in the front row with her and her buddies. I resisted yelling ‘fuck off!!’ and politely declined, but to be honest I didn’t go back for a few weeks.

I have had a personal trainer once before, a few weeks after I had my 2yo. I will be honest. I was fixated on weight loss (I have been enlightened by y’all over the last couple of years!!). But I found that recommendations of making chocolate mousse with avocado, and only eating 6 almonds each day as a snack just messed with my head. The first session he ran me on the treadmill so hard that I spewed (thinking back I should have spewed on him). Also I didn’t lose any weight which just made me feel crap about myself, and like I had wasted a whole bunch of money without any ‘result’.

But the reality is for me personally, that I need someone to give me a bit of a kick start. To give me some confidence. To help me learn about fitness and strength and to help me to enjoy exercise. I spend most of my day sitting on my butt, so I really need to work out how I can get my body active in a way that I enjoy. So I thought I would try a Personal Trainer again.

So over the last couple of weeks I have been watching the Trainers at our gym (not in a weird stalker way I promise!!!). I’ve been trying to work out who I think would be best focused on me and my needs. I finally settled on one guy – probably because he wasn’t the only one posing all over the place and seemed nice and quiet – and went over to work out who he was. Needless to say the first thing on his profile was ‘fat loss’ (GROAN!) but I started to think that this might actually be an interesting experiment. Could I change the way he thinks about his ‘outcomes’ in terms of a ‘result’ and could I start to get a more positive attitude towards exercise?

Today I had my first session with Luke – a complimentary assessment before I booked in for real. What was interesting to me was how freaking nervous I was before the session!

Firstly, I had a bad feeling because I had woken up from a very vivid dream of Roger Sterling from Mad Men propositioning me. WTF!! Mainly I was a bit pissed off that it wasn’t Don Draper, but on the bright side least it wasn’t Bertram Cooper!! Also I had the worst case of ‘sheet face’ I think I have ever seen in my life. God knows what I was doing in my sleep (trying to get away from Roger I think) but I had these HUUUGE creases down my face!

So when I’m nervous I get into a bit of a flustered mess. I couldn’t find my trainers (which were in the freaking shoe box where they always are). I couldn’t find my drink bottle (and ended up taking dude 1′s Milo cricket drink bottle). Then I got in the car and realised I didn’t have a towel. So I had to come back inside. And as I was trying to find the towel I stepped into the cats water bowl (which then meant my trainers were wet) etc etc (you get the picture!!)

So, I get to the gym, and meet up with Luke (who I decided in the car I would think of as my Personal Fitness Buddy) and within about 5 minutes I think I had pretty much given him a pretty intense rundown of my take on health and dieting and the weight loss industry, and that I would probably be blogging about this experience. Poor Luke!!! LOL!  He looked a bit bemused and was like “Okay. Yeah.” (he obviously said a bit more than that- but hey creative license at play here!).

So then we start the training. And to be honest it really wasn’t that bad. Was I self conscious? Yep. Was I a bit embarrassed? Yep.  But was he supportive? Yep! Did he work with what I could do, rather than pushing me to do something I couldn’t? Yep. He explained some really interesting things about my body and helping it move again. Actually that’s what I loved the most – that he told me to focus on ‘movement’ not ‘muscles’. I really loved that concept! He also told me how he hates the B/S that goes on in the aerobics classes with regard to the messages they send. I could have freaking hugged him right there!

So finally we get to booking in for next week (when I think the real work will start). And he says “Okay we will do some measurements etc next week….” and I must have given him a funny look because he was like “….oooor not if you don’t want to”.  So what eventuated was a good discussion about ‘outcomes’. He said he had never had anyone who hadn’t wanted their measurements done so that they could be ‘accountable’ at the end of the 4 weeks. That is particularly fascinating to me, because there is not one piece of evidence which shows that measuring someone will improve their health and wellbeing.

I’m really happy for him to measure me, but I don’t really want to know what the numbers are. They don’t really matter to me. If I lose a bit of weight, so be it. If I don’t, I’m not that bothered. If I fixate on the measurements, then I will probably make radical adjustments to my diet which I wont be able to sustain over time, just to get the numbers down. And that as we all know is a really DUMB thing to do.

So we reached a compromise. Next week, Luke will measure me. But he wont tell me what the measurements are.  If they matter to him, that’s fine. But they don’t need to matter to me .

I think I’m going to learn a lot from Luke about my fitness and my health over the next few weeks. And I hope Luke might learn just about the benefits of shifting the conversation from weight loss to health and that there is a great alternative to the way we think about weight and wellbeing in our community.