Sometimes I feel like the Feminist watchdog on Twitter. So many people, companies, and brands think it’s OK to perpetuate the dangerous myth that health & fitness for women should be based on the judgement of others.

Case in point, anything that involves the world bikini body.

I’ve had my rants in the past about its useage on Twitter, and seen a few companies back off (deleting the post but not admitting wrong) but it’s such an unending battle it feels like an uphill (and shouty) struggle I just am tired of fighting.

Yesterday I received 4 emails in my inbox from PR companies sharing HOW TO GET YOUR BIKINI BODY IN 10 DAYS from a spin studio, an outdoor bootcamp, a running company and a ballet fitness company.  On Twitter comments are sent out to the masses, so I don’t always take it personally, but when someone sends you an email it is directed to you and if it’s filled with offensive content, I will email back.

I try not to be rude, as the point isn’t to get angry, but to let them know a) I do not appreciate that type of language being directed at me, b) you should know better than to promote unrealistic health & fitness goals, and c) it’s just plain lazy marketing gimmick.

My email to the PR company was quickly replied to with an email that I don’t think really got the point and just re-explained the product without using the word beach body.

Hi Laura,
Thank you for replying to my colleague Lizzie regarding the 10 day Sleek Technique programme and for your feedback regarding use of the phrase ‘beach body’. The 10 day programme is just one workout package Sleek Technique offer in order to introduce ballet based training as an ongoing fitness method and, is promoted as a convenient and accessible way to get into shape at any time of the year. It is great to see that ballet based training already works for you and please don’t hesitate to contact me should you require any information in the future.
Thanks again for your email.
Kind regards
Emma

The founder of Sleek Technique also took the time to reply to my email which I thought was nice that she took the time to reply (the other companies did not), but while acknowledges that there is no way anyone could get a beach body in 10 days, and respect my views, they don’t quite go as far as saying they will not use this style of langauge again.

Hello Laura
Flik here, co-founder of Sleek. Thank you for taking the time to give your honest response to the 10 Day Beach Body invitation. Victoria and I have complete respect for your views on long term health and fitness as a lifestyle, not a fad.
As you may have guessed from looking at our site we are both ex professional dancers with long, dedicated, injury free careers at the top of the dance world, none of which came about through 10 days, a month or even a year of training. A lifestyle of looking after our bodies, training them in the right way and eating a moderate, healthy diet, combined with our fitness qualifications in later years is what we have subscribed to and has led us to be in the happiest place and best shape of our lives some 15 years of meeting and becoming friends when we were young aspiring ballerinas.
The 10 day beach body program is intended to encourage some women to try out our ballet fitness workouts and hopefully inspire them to continue working out as a regular part of their weekly routine whether as their sole workout regime or in combination with another chosen activity. Our Sleekers are women of all ages from all over the world – many of whom have been with us since we launched just over a year ago. We have an incredibly high percentage of women who stay with us not just beyond their first live class but beyond the typical 1-3 month gym drop off rate. Our workouts are designed to be an accessible, affordable and convenient way to work fitness into your life whether you’re a university graduate, a new mum, a work fiend or retired lady of leisure. We have Sleekers who tick all these boxes.
With this in mind Laura, I would like to invite you to have a trial of our most popular Sleek Principal membership which allows full unlimited access to both our streaming library and our unique interactive live classes completely on us. I do hope you will take us up on our offer -please let me know if you would like to and I will arrange it for you with pleasure.
Best wishes
Flik
Flik Swan
Director and co-founder

All in all I’m not expecting an immediate change in the way health & fitness is communicated to women. But when I do feel alone in the feminist watchdog arena, I remember that I’m not. There were a lot of voices with me on Twitter yesterday supporting the email. Not to mention, the team behind The Vagenda do a great job on their blog and book to demand a media that reflects who us real women really are.

In the end, I don’t know why everyone in the media are wasting their time. I’ve already got my beach body and all I had to do was walk on the beach.