Blog Archives

What's So Wrong with Role Models?

10/13/2015

It seems that the term role model has become a bad word. “Parents shouldn’t expect teachers to be role models.” “Your child should not look up to celebrities as role models”. “I am not a role model”. These are all phrases that I have been hearing more and more, but I still believe in role models. Here’s the thing. We have to understand that no one is perfect, and human beings are complicated. You will never be inspired by 100% of any one person’s actions or character traits. We are all flawed. We all make mistakes. A role model is not someone who you should seek to become, but someone whose experiences and accomplishments can serve as direction and inspiration for you. We should understand this, and make sure that our children understand this.

Why are people so resistant to being role models? It’s a lofty title to hold. It takes a special person to willingly offer direction to someone else. It’s noble. Some are hesitant to offer themselves as role models because, frankly, they don’t feel worthy. It’s great to be honest about your limitations, but we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves. You may be in a situation where you’re still figuring out one area of life, but you may have had an accomplishment that can be that beacon of hope for someone else. Role models don’t have it all figured out. No one does.

I am inspired by many people, some famous, some not so famous. Do they have flaws? Yes, but it’s their ability to achieve despite obstacles that I am inspired by. Here are a few of my role models.

What are your thoughts on role models? Are you ok with being a role model? I look forward to your comments.

Antoinette
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A Few Words On Serena Williams

10/6/2015

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“Serena Williams looks like a man.” I have said that if I heard or read it one more time, I would scream. While reading a Facebook post that was intended to celebrate the tennis pro, a commenter wrote “she’s too muscular…looks like a man”. I screamed and then I sat down to write this post. It’s a criticism that she receives a lot and I just don’t get it. A few things come to mind whenever someone says that Serena Williams looks like a man:

What sort of men have you been around?
I’m being silly, but when I see photos of Serena Williams “man” is nowhere in mind. I see a beautiful, perfectly toned, uber-talented athlete.

I guess I want to look like a man because I would kill to have her physique.
I’ve been on the fitness rollercoaster for many years. I do the New Year’s resolution every year and fall off by March. Sometimes I manage to make it to summer. Anyway, over the past 2 years I have made a vision board as motivation. Guess who’s one of the ladies posted on the vision board as inspiration? You got it! Serena Williams. I know that I would never be shaped exactly like her, but if I could get to my own level of prime health and fitness, I would be happy. I’ll get there one of these days. When I do get there, I’m sure that I’ll feel anything but manly.

What’s so wrong with a woman’s body having definition?
I guess it’s why so many women are afraid of weights in the gym. They’re afraid of bulking up. They’re afraid that they’ll look like men. We can’t be afraid of weights. There are too many benefits that women can experience from weight training. I’m no fitness expert, but I’ve heard it enough from fitness trainers and other health experts: our bodies do not bulk up in the same way as men’s bodies.

Ok. Now that I’ve vented on this post, I can just glance past remarks about Serena looking like a man with the understanding that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’ll continue to see her as the all-around powerhouse that she is. She rocks and I’m inspired.

What are your thoughts on women and fitness? Can we become too toned?

Antoinette

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