IMO it was shameless self promotion on her part. She knew full and well that, along with the photo, making such a statement would cause a firestorm. From what I understand everything hit the fan when HuffPo reposted it.
It was the #1 topic on my FB feed for awhile there.
Actually, she’s very specifically talking to you. Well, “you” in the general sense anyways.
1)Hard to change the habits of a lifetime
2)I’d like to see the industry acknowledge that some people are starting at rock bottom (blaming it on the industry)
3)Not willing to put in the time (and 2 hours a day is a LOT to spend on excessive)
4)Not interested in extreme fitness (Who said anything about extreme? 30-60 brisk walk per day can make a huge difference and certainly better then nothing)
These are all nothing more then excuses. Again, I’m not singling you out, but there pretty common excuses and she’s just pointing out that they’re nothing more then excuses. She probably hears people saying to her all day “Wow, I wish I could have your body, hell, I wish I could just lose 20 pounds but I just don’t have that kind of time” then they go home and watch TV for two hours. Well, how about recording those shows, go for a 5 mile brisk walk and then watch the shows.
I mean if you’re (again, you in the general sense) really serious about losing the weight eventually you’ll have to get off your ass and workout/eat better etc, but if you’re not interested in it at least stop making excuses and just say it. The only person you’re fooling is yourself. Other people either just hear the excuses for what they are or don’t really care because they were just offering up advice.
What’s Your Excuse Pictures are a bit of a mini-meme, why did she know that “such a statement would cause a firestorm” when she posted hers?
I apologize to the thread at large, I certainly didn’t mean to come off that way. I was answering kable’s questions point by point, and as you can see, I finally came to the realization that that wasn’t working, and that it was taking up way to much of the thread and posts.
Not for me. I would still hate the “EXCUSE” (accusatory sounding) part of the supposed inspirational saying. “Excuse” has the connotation of something that people use for missing or screwing up something that was mandatory or required. Or of asking pardon for something.
Why were you late for the meeting?
@ Traffic sucked on the I-5 on the way in
Everyone else managed to make it in, and they all came up I-5 Also, what’s YOUR excuse?
excuse me, I need to get by
@ what’s your problem
may I get around you? Excuse me please (meanwhile you inconvenience the person you’re trying to get around).
It’s the implied “you suck that you don’t also do X” part of the statement that bugs me, and a lot of other people.
Though I think if she were chunky I might be wondering “what’s my excuse for what”? The message is clear in Kang’s photo. I’m a 10, you can be 10 too if you weren’t a lazy bum. I had the same reaction to the “excuse” thing when looking at the website full of pics that kable posted. Some of them were VERY positive. Like the guy who (still had some to lose) had something like “I lost 100 pounds in 6 months!!!”. Now THAT’S a positive, encouraging, happy sounding inspiration. THAT would get me off the couch and think “wow, if HE could do it, then there’s hope for me” sorta thing. There were also a bunch that had nothing whatsoever to do with the subject OP.
Some of them, like the little girl who had the futuristic leg prosthetics (sorry I don’t know what their real term is, they’re the flat metal springy looking type of prosthetic) who appeared to possibly be on a race track, I had the same “what’s my excuse for what”? Not entering marathons? The message was a little garbled.
Others above have explained, far better than I, why Ms. Kang’s message is off-putting to a lot of people. A picture of perfect physical fitness coupled with “What’s your excuse?” caption, is (to a lot of people, based on comments on the Yahoo article page and here), saying “what’s your excuse for not being a perfect 10?” something that’s pretty much unattainable for most normal people.
Sounds like you A)Took it way to personally and B)missed the point.
Her ‘excuse’ is that she has three kids, but she still managed. Why aren’t you getting into shape? Don’t have the time, find it. Don’t like to eat healthy, make it work. It’s the industry’s fault, yeah, um, no.
It’s not aimed at people are are perfectly happy with where they are, it’s aimed at people who want to work out, who want to drop a few pounds but always have an excuse for why they can’t workout or eat better or get to the gym. Her excuse was three kids and she made it work. Look at my pictures from above, some of them don’t have legs, one of them was a 70 year old guy, that all had perfectly good excuses for not getting in shape, they wanted to get in shape and they did.
If you’re not looking to get in shape, it’s not meant for you and if you’re insulted by it, well, that’s kinda your problem not hers.
I’d be willing to bet she has some really annoying habits.
Get the 2x4 out of your own eye before complaining of the sawdust in everyone else’s. Why are you so insecure that you always have to attack people for disagreeing with you on this subject? Why are you so insecure that you go around prejudging fat people? Why must you, to feel good about your own fitness, go around trashing others?
It is the way people like you treat fat people that makes this so bad. No one really expects everyone to climb Mount Everest because some amputee did it. but people do actually expect people to go around making fitness their number one priority, and label any other priorities as excuses.
It is in this context that this comes off as an insult. The apparent target audience is NOT people who are already into fitness, as they aren’t making “excuses.” The target audience, as Joey P admits, is people like Lynn. And what did this message do for her? Did it make her want to buy the book? No. Did it make her even want to lose weight? Not at all. Did it make her all defensive and make it that much harder for the woman to get her message across? Definitely.
Of course, the reason for this is that they are not the actual target audience. The audience is people who can feel self-inflated views of themselves. They already make fitness a priority, and this book gives them yet another reason to look down on others who don’t.
To act like these people do not have a reason to be upset is just ridiculous. It just shows the lack of empathy present throughout this community. It is because of responses like these that people feel they are right to form the very communities you think are horrible.
If you really care about this sort of thing, and are not just enjoying another change to be hostile to the fat people, don’t defend this woman, but try to do damage control. Show some ability to understand their feelings instead of condemning them.
Or don’t, but then we’ll know where your true motivations lie.
I worked in the fitness industry for 12 years, and I’m one of those who has been fit the majority of my life and am now merely “off the wagon” so I know exactly precisely fitness-scientific wise, why I’m not in my optimal shape. (huh, I just realized that, according to a doper further upthread, I am in her “target audience” that of slightly out of shape former athlete types, yet I still think she said it** badly**). I don’t need to provide anyone else with an excuse or a reason why I’m not in the same shape as she is. And that is part of my issue with this, that is, that it pushes the issue that you have to answer for yourself as to why you’re not a perfect 10 even if you’re NOT one of those people saying “oh waaah, it’s not fair that I can’t look like you, it’s not my fault”. For those people who are whining “it’s not fair, I wanna look like that, but I can’t because XYZ” yeah, I agree 100%, if you want it, it CAN be done (it being fitness, not being her level of fitness perfection).
bolding mine…
I disagree, for the same answer I state above. For a lot of people, me included, it DOES assume that people who aren’t in shape have to “answer for themselves” whether or not they are happy with where they are.
Also short version of what I’ve already said: I have no problem with her hotness, I have no problem with her tooting her own horn re: her hotness, I think she should, she has worked hard for it and is well entitled to toot her own horn. If she’d merely put a photo of herself up saying something like “woot, look what I did!!!” Even if she’d said “wooot, look what I did and I even did it while being a working mom” most people wouldn’t have batted an eye. But for a lot of people it IS the way she said it. **Lynn Bodoni **addressed why that way of saying it really isn’t “inspirational” or at all helpful, as have several others in the thread.
Uh, who was I trashing?
Who said fitness should be a number 1 priority? The girl in the picture said it was maybe number 5. FYI, fitness does not have to be your number 1 priority to avoid obesity.
Some people in this very thread said it was inspiring. So did a number of women I showed it too. All the loathing resulting from the picture, just seems like self loathing to me.
What book?
No it’s not.
What communities are you talking about?
Well I do think being fat is contemptible. Kind of like smoking cigarettes or being an alcoholic. Do you disagree?
Well, I do work to help people become more fit on a daily basis. Is that a bad motivation?
I missed some of your argument in my response to Kable.
If she were really targeting people who just want to do a little bit and get a little better, she wouldn’t be making a big deal about how fit she is. That’s the problem. The message of this meme, as you call it, is that the person in the picture has done something actually worthy of accomplishment. But, here’s the thing, it’s never the actual person who did it saying that.
Hence she’s being boastful, going on about how great she is for accomplishing that fit body. And that sort of thing already rubs fat people, even those into fitness, the wrong way. Throwing in a negative message that is supposed to make you feel bad enough to change only makes it worse.
I really don’t know why you find it so hard to see that message. Fat people are constantly told they don’t measure up, and anything that wants to help them lose weight absolutely cannot have any hint of that in the marketing. You cannot encourage people by belittling the reasons they don’t think they can do it. That’s just insulting.
I mean, monstro was able to see it, and she’s not in any way fat, and actually is a little bit pushy on nutrition. If she can see the problem, I don’t get why anyone else can’t.
And don’t think I’m a hypocrite and don’t see your viewpoint, either. I just believe it is wrong. The innocuous, inspiration meme just doesn’t fit.
This is what I don’t get. “What’s your excuse” is a thing. She didn’t say it ‘badly’ because it’s already phrase. Go google it. Do a Google Image Search and you’ll find plenty of other examples. Here, I’ll find some more.
To find a “good” way to write it is like over explaining a joke. The picture would lose something in the translation just like a one liner isn’t as funny if you take 6 sentences to tell it. Like this
Just make exercise a priority. It doesn’t have to be #1, but it does have to be a priority. It can’t be something you do because you feel like it or have excessive free time. Just like homework is a priority and getting to work on time is a priority, exercise should be a priority. Even if it’s just a 20 minute walk at lunch, do something. Too many people do nothing and have a long list of excuses as to why that is.
I agree with the post earlier that said people should create messages to encourage the beginners to get more involved with exercise. I’m sure we all have a friend or relative who is 150+ lbs overweight and completely sedentary. How do you get that person to take the first step to leading a healthier life? Even when they are facing an early death preceded by various preventable health problems, they don’t do anything about it and have a list of excuses as to why they can’t change. If their own death isn’t enough to get them to change, what would do it?
OK, so since she’s a 10 she’s bitchy and uninspiring for for saying the exact same thing that non-10s said, but when a non-10 says the exact same thing, they’re inspiring and not bitchy. I’m glad to know I didn’t misunderstand your position.
Going on? Throwing in a negative message? Being boastful?
It said “What’s your excuse?”
I’m sorry, you’re right, people that are in good shape should have to wear t-shirts and jeans and not be allowed to discuss how proud they are or their accomplishments.
Thanks, but kable already did. And I answered his questions regarding those photos. As to “what’s your excuse” being a thing. So? That doesn’t make it a GOOD thing. Yeah, I can see where Drill Instructor Gung Ho already fitness perfect people who are really into the whole “need a mean kick in the teeth to get inspired” thing would like it. I dealt with that in basic training in the military. That doesn’t mean everyone, nor even the majority of people do. As many people both here, and on the original comments page of the article have explained, it rubs them the wrong way and does the OPPOSITE of what she claims she’s trying to do.
Oh horse pucky! There are a LOT of ways to be inspirational, no meanness required. There are a lot of ways to kindly and sweetly support and help people get fit. Some people are acting as if, if it isn’t mean and shaming (i.e, why aren’t you like this too) that it won’t be effective. And that is completely untrue.
No, they should be allowed to boast about their accomplishments WITHOUT resorting to making it about other people to do it.
What would be SO wrong with simply saying “look at this! I did it, yay me!”? No “what’s wrong with YOU?” is necessary if the person really is proud of their accomplishments in and of the accomplishments themselves. Why do they then feel the need to make it about other people?
Is this girl bitchy?
Because it’s just playing off an internet meme. That simple. If it doesn’t speak to you (and it certainly doesn’t speak to me), just ignore it. You’re not the target. I’m a guy, so it’s a little different, but if I saw a similar ad with a guy, I’d be like “Yay! He’s ripped and gorgeous. So the fuck what?” I’m a healthy weight, but nowhere near ripped, and I know I could do it if I really dedicated myself to it, but I don’t care. So that’s my excuse. And so what? Why should I give a rat’s ass about the ad?
For real:
http://iconicesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Shes-82-Years-old-300x300.png
Why does she need to make it about “other people?” I would think maybe to inspire “other people” but what do I know.
