Demi Lovato gives us another reason to take gym selfies

January 17, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

Maybe on your weight loss path, you’ve snapped a few selfies of your progress.

And, because you’ve read my awesome article encouraging you to share it online, you considered it.

But then… you hesitated. Ah, yes. It’s the classic Mean Girls moment in front’ve the mirror. Actually, it’s almost like that – except all’ve the voices are bombarding your consciousness, all at once. “Nose isn’t cute enough. Eyes too close together. Tummy’s not flat enough yet. Inner thighs are still too thick ‘n jiggly. Gee, if only I had a pop star body.” But here’s the thing – even pop stars suffer through this.

Look at Demi Lovato, for instance. You might not think it – but homegirl goes through the same damn thang. The tougher thing for her, though, is the public scrutiny. The voiced judgment. The cruel comments. One might look at her and think, what could she possibly have to complain about? But, after struggling through an eating disorder (and currently in recovery from it), Demi’s still got hangups when it comes to her stems.

On the Ellen show, she discussed a picture she’d recently posted online:

“I actually was very hesitant about posting that because I didn’t love my legs in it. You know every time you look at a picture of yourself, you critique it. I’m a perfectionist. I decided to post it anyways because I thought, ‘You know what, it’s me, it’s who I am, and I love my body, so I’m just going to post it.'” She says that she’s spent the past year working on herself and loving herself, adding, “I’ve really surrendered to the process of just learning to love yourself, and I feel like it shows through my pictures. I post more bathing suit pictures online. I want to show my fans that it’s possible that they can get to that self-love too.”

Indeed, most’ve her fans adore her for this.

It’s inspired an insane amount of them to shamelessly put themselves on display with confidence, too.

But the shade launchers, obviously, are going to spew the usual vitriol. Have a gander at any comment thread on Lovato’s journey to loving herself and you’ll see stuff like, “Why don’t you wipe those tears streaming from your plastic lacrimal ducts with hundred dollar bills?” Alright. Judge her fear of being judged if you like. I get it. The girl’s gorgeous and it’s tough to see where she’s coming from (initially). But when we have a peep deeper, we can’t help but ask: don’t we all do this, in a way? Don’t we always see the flaws? The close up blur of the beautiful-from-a-distance Monet? With a bit of finesse, this can actually be an advantage. On my own fitness path, half of what motivates me is looking for what I can improve upon. Seeking it out. And that’s not a bad thing. But that comes with two massive caveats. The first? To make sure you’re looking for something you can improve upon. (No matter how much HIIT I do, I’m never gonna tweak my features into Taylor Swift’s.) Then, the second thing is that you do it from a place of self love, not self loathing. And that’s where the social media snaps come in. Because by putting yourself out there, entirely (no, I don’t mean nudes), with pride (no, not vanity, necessarily), you’re celebrating who you are and how far you’ve come. You’re celebrating your weight loss path, how you’re confidently carving it out for yourself, and how you’re constantly improving.

(Part of loving yourself means continuing to improve it by working on what you can…)

This, in turn, becomes a mental habit that gains momentum. The more we act with confidence, the more we accomplish. Why? Because we’re inspired to do so. Sure, this translates to our weight loss goals. But it also bleeds beautifully like pain erasing paint into the other areas on our life canvas. Our work feels more fulfilling. Our interpersonal relationships improve. Our desire to ingest better quality food increases. And you wanna know what’s diesel grade motivation fuel for this self care carousel? The second someone makes a comment on your snap saying that you’re the one who inspired them to get back on their wellness and weight loss path. That’s something that easily feels far better than getting closer to a “flawless” body.

Imagine that.

Your hard work and confidence could inspire and motivate a total stranger’s transformation.

No pop star status (or body) necessary.