I just got a text from my big sister.
Texts from my sisters usually make me smile. Sometimes it’s a funny video, or a photo to make me laugh, or a random Emoji we like to send because we think it’s hilarious to send a horse jockey, a mushroom, or a puffer fish because… seriously, who uses those for real?
But today’s text wasn’t something funny, in fact it made me sort of sad,
“If you get a chance check out what’s going on with Self Magazine…”
What’s going on with Self Magazine is good deal of backlash in the running community, and I’d wager, the entire female population in the near future.
NBC San Diego says:
A San Diego runner and cancer survivor says she was snubbed by a popular women’s magazine that used a photo of her wearing a tutu to make fun of the fitness fashion trend.
Monika Allen says she was excited to receive an email from SELF magazine asking for permission to use a photo that showed her running the LA marathon dressed as Wonder Woman and wearing a tutu in an upcoming issue. But when the April issue came out, Allen said she was “stunned and offended.”
You see, Monika, was wearing the Wonder Woman costume because this was the first race she ran after being diagnosed with Brain Cancer. To add insult to injury, she makes the tutus herself and has used the proceeds to donate over $5,000 to non-profits that promote confidence building in young girls. Self put the photo of Monika in a section called “The BS meter” where the magazine tells us what is “Legit and Lame this Month.”
This story absolutely blows my mind.
Self Magazine, a publication founded on the idea of self-improvement, is making fun of a woman who is actively working to improve herself. I understand that they didn’t realize she was battling cancer, I understand that it wouldn’t occur to them that she made the outfit herself… but the misunderstanding, that’s the biggest issue of all! Magazines like this, that pass snap judgements on a person based on one outfit, from a single day in their life, are teaching women that it’s ok to do the same. Openly judging another woman’s choices simply because she doesn’t look or act like you do doesn’t add any value to this world whatsoever. What it does do, is promote a culture of Mean Girls and pushes us back into a junior high mentality where the popular girls picked on the girls who didn’t dress the way they did… guys, Junior High sucked and those mean girls sucked too. We can’t keep buying into this and we definitely shouldn’t condone it as a form of entertainment.
My style is eclectic and I have a visceral reaction to conservative sweater sets or pencil skirts… but for every woman like me, who wants to wear funky rings and blousy tops, there are just as many women who put on their favorite fitted cardigan and feel like a super model. Why, is it ok to judge another woman (even if it’s just in your own mind) simply because she dresses differently? Our style defines us, whether that’s a sleek New York editorial assistant, a laid back LA hipster or someone who runs marathons in costume. When you judge that style you aren’t just calling the outfit lame, you’re labeling the person themselves less-than as well.
I’ve run a half marathon and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever pushed myself through. I ran most of the race a tenth of a mile behind a husband and a wife who were dressed like Donald and Daisy Duck. They were bigger people and if I’d seen them on the street I might have thought myself in better shape simply because I was thinner, but I trailed those two ducks for 13 miles and they crossed the finish line with their yellow tights and duck bill hats long before I did. Who cares if they were in costume? Who cares if someone needs to dress like a Disney character or a Super Hero to motivate themselves or make them feel stronger? We should be in awe of anyone who’s pushing themselves to something greater regardless of the outfit they wear while they do it. Self’s cover model for this same issue starred in both the Avenger’s movies… she puts on a costume and because she’s an actress it makes her a badass and worthy of the cover of a magazine. But these women and men who challenge themselves to better health, who sweat their way through workouts while dreaming up a way to build a Buzz Lightyear costume out of running gear, they’re lame?
No way.
I think Super Woman and Wonder Women look incredible in that shot. I feel inspired by them and I hope I look half as gorgeous and happy when I run my next race. I tore out the photo and pasted it on my bulletin board to inspire me and to remind me how dangerous and hurtful it is to judge someone based on appearances. I hope this post reminds you to do the same. ~Rachel
