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What makes a beautiful body from a fitness expert

Writer's picture: Sera LeeSera Lee

Hint: It may be different than you think.

A cutting wind: demonstrating centuries of impossible beauty standards.

History has seen it all when it comes to beauty standards for women. Fifteen-inch waists, the flat-chested boyish figure of the 1920s, the full-bodied figure of the Renaissance, and currently, fit and curvy. Every day we are bombarded with images of what the ideal beauty is. And this differs from culture to culture.

I was a 90s kid. I grew up reading Dolly and Cleo magazines like everyone else. I didn’t have parents who told me my body was okay the way it was. My first diet started right after the sixth grade. I didn’t like the way my tummy stuck out.


Sounds like a real sustainable diet.

During high school, we were all in awe of Kate Moss, Nicole Richie and Angelina Jolie. They had that “skinny bitch” look. So thin, slender and moody — like they were about to pass out if they didn’t get food anytime soon. Looking sickly thin was just so fashionable. Ten years have passed and now it’s all about looking fit, having defined abs and the perfect butt. I see so many girls who were in the same boat as me, jumping from starvation diets to joining gyms and throwing around iron. I have high-school girls come to me wanting abs and a booty that will turn heads. “I want a big bum, but I also want a smaller waist. I really want abs.” “What about your cardio health? Or strength? Or stamina,” I ask. “That’s not so important. I just want to look good.”



All bodies are beautiful.

For a lot of girls, exercise is just a way of changing their body because they feel insecure and ashamed that they don’t match up to today’s beauty standards. Do we just trade one obsession for another? What if being overweight was the new trend? Women would start binge eating despite its negative effects on health. And in fact, this occurs in certain cultures around the globe. When will we start to be kind to ourselves despite what the trend is? Because at the end of the day, trends don’t care about us. Whether we punish ourselves to achieve a certain look, or end up with body dysmorphia and self-hatred, trends will come and go as they please. They are not afraid to leave us on our asses, allowing space for another trend to dictate what is beautiful. It’s time women come together and share our experiences of how we FEEL in our bodies, rather than to continue conversations of what we hate about ourselves. How do you feel in your body today? Do you feel anxiety or peace and calmness? When you touch your body, do you feel shame and disgust or love and respect?


Sera Lee is a personal trainer and confidence coach. She believes that fitness requires a holistic approach that focuses on the mind, body and soul.

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