Body worship

Abs vs. self-esteem: body worship has become very strange

With the sudden arrival of the heat and the abundance of lightly clothed skin on the streets, we have been reflecting on how we talk about our own bodies.

An intense one is coming:

Title

GYMBROS VERSUS EMOTIONAL CROQUETISM

There's something exhausting about how we talk (to ourselves) about our bodies. The internet seems to have split into:

Masters of peak performance: obsessed with constant improvement, they transform their bodies into endless optimization projects based on electrolytes, cold water baths, Botox up to their eyebrows, and 2-hour Hyrox sessions. 'Wellness' and 'looksmaxing' as an identity.
Body-positive people who have gone too far: for whom any aesthetic interest is superficial, taking care of oneself is oppression of capitalism and 'letting go' is a conscious act of political rebellion and romanticization of ultra-processed foods.

If you don't have a six-pack, you're worthless. If you're obsessed with sports, you're part of the system's problems.

There's surely a middle ground between getting dressed up because you enjoy it and punishing yourself because it never seems enough.

THE GREYS THAT DON'T QUITE FIT US

'If you take care of yourself, do it only for yourself'

Well… and a little bit for others too, right? Because we are social beings. Because we like to be liked. Because validation is a legitimate feeling… and because it also makes no sense to live oblivious to the gaze of others, locked away in a cave.

“Accept/love yourself just as you are”

Well... and also how you could become.

Because loving yourself doesn't have to mean freezing yourself up. Just as you nurture a friendship or a plant, you can nurture yourself without that implying rejection of who you are today.

“You are what your actions say about you”

Well, we're not entirely convinced about turning every gesture into an epic either. Sometimes taking care of yourself isn't a spiritual transformation or a narrative of constant self-improvement, but rather something repetitive, boring, monotonous… and that's okay.

OF SUSTAINABLE HEDONISM AND ENJOYABLE SELF-CARE

Sometimes we're just talking about washing our face, taking a walk, going to bed earlier, or trying to eat something green between meetings and existential anxiety.

That's why lately we prefer to think about self-care in a much less intense and more human way, as Chenoa would say. A reasonable, sometimes contradictory, and never perfectly balanced mix of health, pleasure, aesthetics, energy, rest, play, and respect.

Not to achieve an impossible perfection, but simply because care can also be a form of affection. Of self-love.

Just like any long-term relationship you've had (such as with a partner, a gardening project, furnishing a house…), the same thing happens with your body and face; it's not a matter of 'I accept everything/nothing and that's it'; rather, it's about daily gestures, constant work, and going through different stages. All for the pure desire to build a more pleasant coexistence with yourself.

Work out, yes. But don't turn the gym into a religion. Wear lotion, yes. But don't obsess over looking eternally young. Eat well, yes. But don't turn every dinner into a spreadsheet. Want to look attractive, yes. But don't make yourself an impossible project.

Ultimately, we're not aiming for a perfect physique. We're aiming to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and think, "Yes. I'm quite happy living here."

P.D. : And speaking of enjoying summer without too many body obsessions... she's just returned Handsomefyer Sun. SPF50 for the face, Melonizer for the body and a fairly simple philosophy: go out, show yourself a little and have a good time.