I never commented on “hot mom” Maria Kang here (though I did on my Facebook page) but now that she’s come out with another “What’s Your Excuse?” poster, I’m ready to chime in — especially since I saw a counter to her poster from another mom of three that rocked (scroll past the next graphic for that one.)
My original thought on Kang’s picture was — awesome! She looks great, she works hard and “What’s Your Excuse?” is actually a phrase I’ve seen on multiple sporting brands. Just the other day in my Women’s Health magazine, a running shoe brand (can’t remember which) had it on one of their ads. It’s a motivating thing and I’m not opposed to her using it.
People got way too angry about it. It wasn’t a personal attack on anyone — and being offended, well, that is totally unproductive. As I like to say, “you do you.” Getting offended is so not worth your time in almost all areas of life. A waste of negative energy.
But It’s Not Cut and Dry
But Kang is certainly out of the ordinary. She obviously values the time it takes to mold and sculpt her body into that kind of shape — and that’s great. I know she says she has “limited time” but you don’t look like that spending 30 minutes/3 days a week — requires more time no doubt. It also would take a very strict diet for me (or others) to look like that — and I haven’t had kids.
The latest photo feels like she’s throwing her self-discipline and awesomeness into our faces instead of taking a more encouraging — do the best you can — approach.
Additionally, there is no standard that Kang’s body is ideal. She looks amazing and I applaud her for that if that’s what she wants but not everyone cares about looking as trim and toned.
**And for anyone that’s looking to get motivated, you can take her posters for what they’re worth and apply them!
I can totally forgive her for the first picture — it was meant to be motivating and inspiring — and it was! The second picture is just rubbing it in. It seems tacky and attention-grabbing and I don’t respect that. Finally, it’s not the best way to be inviting and encouraging of folks who are new to getting shape. It may even turn them off. Kang can do whatever she wants. I just think this approach is unhelpful. So that’s where I am with it.
Now check out this:
What do you think of the new Maria Kang ad? How about Taryn Brumfitt’s response? Do you think someone could take the positive from Kang and use it to their benefit without being offended? How would your poster look?Ā
Maria Kang can bite me.
She thinks she keeps fit in the face of adversity. She has no clue what adversity is. She has no clue how to exercise empathy or celebrate diversity.
Agree 100% – now I don't even have to comment š Nothing about her is motivating. Nastiness and narcissism are not inspiring.
Yeah I mean you CAN be inspired by it but…the vibe is way off.
She is certainly not being very empathetic!
I think the posters are kind of funny because they are obviously PhotoShopped. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? She has said that the first one was retouched etc.
I think to each their own but she has gotten SO MUCH publicity from all of this why wouldn't she keep them coming to spark more debate? More power to her for having a rocking body but I think I stopped caring HA.
Yes the photoshope thing is ridiculous! I agree that this will bring her more traffic and publicity so I get the stunt but her follow up could have been way more classy.
Exactly! I mean, if we all got makeup hair, professional lighting, photos, etc. we'd look way better than we do "normally."
I am SO OVER Maria. She makes ME feel bad about my body and I've never had kids.
It's a little hard to stand
OMGOSH I CAINT SEE THE MARIA KANG PHOTO.
Im rolling my eyes too hard.
yep!~
Really interesting thoughts here. Now I want a poster that explains how she looks like that -but instead of making people understand how what works for her wouldn't work for them, it probably would make people think they have to be as devoted to fitness as she is to be healthy.
I agree…it's deceiving if nothing else!
I follow your blog and I follow Maria's blog. I highly respect both of you. She made the second poster because of all of the backlash from the first one. People we/are MEAN. She works very hard and does a good job of utilizing her time, but she is also honest. She doesn't always get in her workouts, sometimes cuddling her three boys takes priority. She eats very strictly. I would love a body like hers, not because it is an ideal body to have, but I had that at one time and don't now. That being said, there is no way I'm going to give up eating foods I love in order to look like that. I encourage people to read her blog. She used to have an eating disorder and has faced quite a bit of adversity in her lifetime. I work hard not to judge other people, especially just from an image. I wish others would do the same.
I know she works hard and I certainly don't think being mean was the answer. That's why I was trying to be a little more tactful than some. I mean, everyone is human and she is not perfect so deserves to be treated respectfully. I'd be interested to actualyl talk with her and get her perspective. I wonder if there's an interview I could find…
Please don't take my response to mean that I thought you were being mean (I was more upset with some of the comments above mine). I understand what you are saying. The thing is, she is actually more than just the two pictures that everyone keeps seeing. She has a blog, she posts pictures of her stretch marks, she admits when she falls off the fitness wagon. I obviously don't know her, but would also love to actually talk to her. I find both of her pictures inspiring even if I will never look like her. It reminds me that yes, I work full time, yes I have a child, yes I have a home that needs to be cleaned, but also, I need to take care of myself.
I appreciate that you are honest on your blog and you are also diplomatic in how you present things. It's one of the reasons I read it every day! I also find your posts inspiring to get me off my butt and get to work. š
I’m sure the photos of Maria are photo shopped, however she still looks awesome! The Taryn Brumfitt photos are ridiculous because they could have taken a photo of the avg non perfect woman in a more flattering pose & certainly more attractive underware. So it seems to me that the Brumfitt photo is much more exaggerated then the first 2. So if exaggeration is the point then it was made.
Completely agree with this! It reminds me of the before-and-after pictures for weight loss products, where they show the person in ugly underwear, frowning, and sticking out their stomach. Carla Birnberg did an AMAZING post on this a few weeks ago, but I can't seem to find it by searching (I keep getting her real before and after).
Totally agree! I must find Carla's post, I missed it!
DIdn't think of that for the Brumfitt photo — why IS she wearing such unattractive underwear? Weird.
Reading the comment above helped out everything in perspective, when I was also going to join in the annoyed party. From what I’ve read, anorexia/bulimia overtakes your everything, and she conquered it. I think this is her way of saying f-you to her illness on a day-to-day basis, but people are interpreting it differently either because they have underlying issues or because they’ve never been through something like that. She’s on a serious power kick because she’s found the power IN her weakness. Girl has good emotional boundaries, 90% of the world doesn’t. It is motivating, to me. I’m on my third kid, and I make it a point to workout, but more because it’s just now a routine that helps keep my mind and spirit healthy. A lot of runners/athletes don’t look like her- they’re just built different. Some girls in my Pilates class look like ballerinas, others I know go regularly, including my instructor, don’t necessarily look like they do Pilates on a regular basis, but these girls kick my ass in class.
Is it annoying? Meh, a little. I also applaud th other mom (with the soft belly). To some, working out isn’t a top priority. Some want it to be just don’t have to time to figure out how to get it all in line (when do I do it? Who will watch the kids?) on top of thins that are just as important, like figuring out WHAT THE HELL you’re even doing as a mom! :). Most moms I know are much more concerned with raising Godly kids.
I think it's amazing she conquered an ED (did not know that) and yes, it takes so much strength. I'm sure she is very proud of what she's done (and it is an acomplishment!). You make a great point about finding power in her weakness. If she has taken all this as well as it seems, she's strong emotionally too. Sometimes I think when we find the "secret" or whatever for ourselves, we just want others to find it so much that we forget where we used to be at one point. Anyway, defniitely great feedback.
I actually really like those pictures, and DO find them inspiring. Maybe that's shallow of me, but everyone has different motivation. I definitely understand why some people feel insulted by it, but to me, it's just the kick in the pants I need to stop being all "woe is me" and get my butt to the gym. (That said, she only works eight hours a day??? That's practically part-time! I wish she had left that out.)
It reminds me a little bit of a debate about whether group fitness instructors should say things like "burn off the brownie you ate last night!" That's really controversial and I understand why some people find it kind of eating disordered to say such a thing, but when my spin instructor told us in class on Tuesday that we could burn off the bagel we'd eat after class, it made ME push harder.
I agree, they can definitely be inspiring! And yeah, I hate to be all PC. When you start criticizing group instructors for that kind of stuff, you start thinking you can offend people with anything …also why I brought up that people should stop getting offended for most things. And yeah, I am with you on the "burn off the bagel" — I ddefinitely workout to burn calories as well as to feel great.
Hmm I'm not sure how I feel. I somewhat agree with you that the 2nd poster seems kind of rubbing it in your face , and I agree with others that it is clearly photoshopped – so what point is she trying to make? I think as far as time goes, I know a lot of people who work and have kids who find the time before the sun is even up to get their workout in. It's all about how dedicated you want to be with that, and with eating (I'm not on that level yet haha).
I also don't know how I feel about the second poster. I mean I love the points that she makes and the message she wants to get across, but at the same time, isn't it kind of catty and judgemental to create something like that in response to Maria's poster? I think women should applaud other women no matter what their goals are…whether it's to be lean like Maria, or whether it's to focus on their children and workout when they can/eat chocolate when they want…that's fine too. Does that make sense? Feels like I kinda started rambling haha Great post – thanks for bringing it to light!
Patty ~ reach-yourpeak.com
I love the different opinions on this because their are so many. I also love that everyone is civil about it! thanks for chiming in…I think we could analyze the heck out of this but I guess unless we know Maria personally, it would be hard to have any idea if we were right!
I'm not into her, but I don't find other people's posed and primed bodies inspiring. I don't know exactly how photoshopped this new photo is, she is easily professionally lit and posed. Her body language is standoffish, her smirk condescending. I find bodies in motion inspiring, show me a picture of Camille cleaning 200lbs, or Stacie Tovar pulling a sled and that inspires me. Good for the average woman who works out and looks good, show me champions, I want to be more like them.
YES Meg, so on. I could watch Crossfit girls for hours. Actually sometimes I search #crossfit on Instagram just to find videos of cool lifts before bed. #obsessed š
I've got two tumblr blogs for you: fuckyeahcrossfit and thrustr, inspiration all day long š
and I',m there, thanks!
Maybe people should stop worrying so much about what other people do. #hatersgonnahate #whyyoumad #jealous #hashtagsonblogs
That wasn't directed at you Ericka… lol
Right on, sista
I believe that both her posters are rubbing her success in peoples' faces…if she really wanted to inspire others she might add something like "Check out my page to see how I do it and you can too"…just something encouraging….to me her posters are like LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME I'M BETTER THAN YOU
SO true! That would help so much!
So I'm going to come out on the opposite side of things….and forgive me if this comes across as a little harsh.
First of all, Maria Kang seems incredibly vain and clearly pulls most (if not all) of her self worth from her appearance. I don't care if she says she's beaten an eating disorder, she still has a very clearly disordered relationship with her body if she needs to constantly throws up posts like this for attention (which everyone gives her).
But, oh my goodness, the responses are just as self righteous and disordered and hypocritical. The whole "Maria is a jerk! She makes me feel bad about myself blah blah." or "Go look at the crossfit girls tumblr. That's real women/motivation." or Taryn's response about how women of all sizes can be fit, but when she puts that up in response to Maria's post she's basically excluding her and people who look like her. All of these posts are doing the exact same thing Maria is. It's saying that one type of body is better (even if half these people responding are just as fit and thin as Maria, it's OK because they're not rubbing it in your face in this particular instance. How generous). Maria posts these images to feel good about herself at the expense of others and everyone responds, tearing her down so they can feel good about themselves but somehow thing it's ok because they're not doing it in their underwear (except for Taryn).
I'm sorry, but if you have a blog about fitness and health and spend a good amount of time blogging about health and diet and weight….you have your own opinions about what you think the ideal "fit" woman should look like (and you had it long before Maria put up her stupid posts). It's not posts like Maria's that made me get rid of my blog, it's the responses. All this really unhealthy body image crap just feeds off itself and grows and grows and grows as people debate what's the "healthiest".
I don't agree with the mean comments. I don't think she's a jerk and as I mentioned in a previous comment, no one can ever truly know her intentions unless they know her personally. I don't think people responding to her negatively are trying to make themselves feel better either. It's just a reaction to a what seems a little over the top. I certainly don't feel bad about myself because of her photo.
And this isn't about having an idea about your ideal body type (I do and everyone likely has one that is a little different). And yeah, most people aren't rubbing in our faces — I don't want them too! I'm not trying to tear Maria down, I'm just reacting….as I said, I'd never attack her character or personal things about her…I am sure she's probably NOT a jerk. She's probably a really nice, great mom.
You may see the blogging community as "unhealthy body image crap" but it's not that way for me. Yes, there are some people who promote the unhealthy but by and large, I read blogs with positivity, optimism, goal setting and balance. I'm not interested in people who restrict or clearly have issues they aren't admitting to.
I agree…. and rock on with those abs and arms! Mine don't but that's okay, ha ha
She could have done this in such a more effective way. But, hey, people can do what they want. They just might not get the response they were looking for!
I think Maria is now trying to stretch her 15 minutes, basically. And that's a little obnoxious. I also think she is overlooking the fact that, while she has kids and works, etc, she still has advantages over some who truly can't get it all done. Single mothers in lower income brackets, for instance, who spend all their waking hours trying to get by. Anyhow, I'm over Maria. I do like the response ad, I will say.
I owe you an email, btw! We need to get this thing rolling…
Oh yeah, totally forgot! Well, as the weather gets nicer, it will be easier to meet up!
I'm with you, I think people over reacted to the first one and I honestly didn't see much wrong with it. The second one is just what you said—rubbing it in. I do like the response ad, and I wonder what Maria's response would be to that. I think she realizes she needs to get her 'moment in the spotlight' while she can. I do like the 'no excuses' thing but there is certainly much more to that for each and every person.
Yeah it would be interesting to see her response to that…wonder i f she wrote about it on her blog? I’ll have to do some digging.
That second photo is so professionally lit and photoshopped, she barely looks human.
Thanks for sharing the response photo. I’m sick of all this attention and criticism on Maria Kang. I am with you regarding the first and second picture. Genetically, I have to say it’s not possible or even healthy for me mentally and physically to be like her. The second picture is discouraging and she doesn’t even have a proper smile on her face…
I think it can be used for motivation but it’s so tacky! Defintiely not the way I would go.
Good grief! I thought this woman's 15 minutes were up already! Kudos to her for staying in shape and, presumably, being healthy. Can't knock her for that. Can knock her for her delivery, though. Oy vey. But I guess whatever she's doing is working. Got me to comment. :-/
Yeah I mean, rock on lady but, she’s mostly just annoying at this point!
I think the second poster is overkill…it seems like she's getting caught up in the drama (that she basically created) and now going back and forth with these responses. I see she pointed to stretch marks on the poster, but I can't see them! Everything is still glamorized….maybe if she had a poster with her doing crunches while her kids play around her, then I'd get the "what's your excuse" tagline?
In any event, I don't follow her and she has no impact on what I'm doing. It's great to inspire moms to work out, but she has to know this lots of women have persistence, consistency and dedication and will never look like her.
As for the "response" poster, that just seems a little silly, and a way for the other woman to promote herself, so I guess I'm not mad at that.
Good point on the response….I didn’t even think about that!
Response to Maria Kangās Second Photo (Iām Not As Nice This Time)
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I understand that her photos are photoshopped, but as a hard working 36 year old mom of 3 who gets up at 330am to get her first work out in of the day and gets another in some other time during the day, watches what I eat – and lost 117 pounds, I'm very used to getting the "OH, you stay at home, huh?" "How much is your trainer?" "Must be nice to be able to eat whatever you want." I work hard. In 12 days, I hope to be a 3:20 marathoner and by the end of the year, I hope to be a sub 3:00. I dove into Ericka's arms after my first marathon, MCM 2012 where I ran a 3:57. I'm a (not so awesome) triathlete. My oldest daughter is a nationally ranked swimmer. I teach my kids healthy eating habits and the power they have inside them to go out and get what they want. It really stinks that I can't go to the gym or go for a run without other women knocking me down – and it also stinks women can't see that Maria Kang is trying to show women that there isn't an excuse – time, children, stress – that they can't get out and workout. Even if it isn't a 6 pack or her athlete's body you want. Get out and DO IT. Stop making excuses. And PLEASE stop putting down other women who are doing it. It isn't getting us anywhere except showing our daughters that living a healthy lifestyle isn't supported