Just like this.

You just have it, continue to exist and carry on as usual, normalize it, and reduce shame by not trying to hide it. Bonus points for highlighting it.

Fitness pursuits and athletic pursuits are different. They are not (or do not have to be) mutually exclusive.

Years ago this would have wrecked me. “How could I be working so hard and still have cellulite?” (rooted in athletic pursuit) vs. now where I record myself for form checks (objective) and am able to celebrate my body’s capability vs. it’s appearance (subjective).

Cellulite is normal.

You don’t see it often on fitspo accounts because in the eyes of toxic fitness culture and diet culture, it is shameful, something to deny, and something to work vehemently against having and certainly not something to highlight as it may devalue one’s “fitspo status”.

Your body is still worth celebrating in all of its cellulite glory even if it doesn’t perform how you want it to perform. In other words, body appreciation is not reserved for performance pursuits either. You don’t owe anyone thin, pretty, cute, dainty, strong, athletic, fit – none of that. You don’t owe anyone shit.

Appreciation comes before celebration, by the way. When in doubt, shift to neutrality.

The Body Positivity Community has been buzzing about how straight sized womxn like me should stop posting photos of their thin/fit/privileged bodies highlighting rolls, fat, cellulite, etc. because it’s not our place to do so. I can see where they are coming from and understand. However, images of womxn who looked more like me (straight sized)showing off normal parts of their body helped me hate my body less over the years. We have to understand that fat-phobia is a macro-issue and body image issues amongst straight-sized womxn like me is a micro-issue.

I cannot pretend that my previous body image/exercise/food issues were benign- they were not. If me showing off my straight-sized body with cellulite helps one womxn feel less shame and helps normalize parts of her body that the fitness and diet industry/objectification of womxn has fooled them into hating/trying to hide/fix/abolish, then I’ve done my job here.

Shame cannot exist in the light. If you’re worried to show off parts of your body that you have previously learned to hate and are working to try and appreciate (appreciation comes before celebration) and are afraid people will “call you out” by calling you gross, etc., know this:

Hiding breeds more shame, though you can move at your own pace for this whenever you’re ready.

Defensiveness means you agree with the statement said AND hold shame around it. Use hiding/defensiveness as an indicator to lean into yourself in terms of what you agree with and WHY you’re harboring shame around it.

If you’re hoping to get rid of cellulite, those weird lat spillovers when you’re wearing a sports bra, and your belly rolls when you sit down- The Barbell Collective is not for you. There is zero shortage of coaches & programs that will hit on your pain points & trick you into believing your body needs fixing. If that’s you, if you’re still trying to “fix” your body- I’ve got nothing for you.