Strong is the New Skinny is an idea that spread. And spread. And spread.
We couldn’t have planned it. I don’t think it would have spread if we did plan it. The lack of a plan is what made it so great. It was completely organic.
It’s just over two years ago that Strong is the New Skinny started on Facebook. As I write this, “SINS” has 81,647 “Likes” on the Facebook Page.
Marsha and I had no plan when we started. We still don’t have a plan – other than showing up every day, being authentic and caring about our friends.
An Idea Whose Time Had Come
“The term ‘Internet Meme’ refers to a concept that spreads rapidly from person to person via the Internet, largely through Internet-based email, blogs, forums, Imageboards, social networking sites, instant messaging and video streaming sites such as YouTube.”
“Practical Paleolithic – Selected as Blog of the Week 10/11/2010. A little something for everyone here, and popularizer of the ‘Strong is the New Skinny’ meme.”
How about that? This blog “popularized a meme.”
(If you weren’t around in the very beginning, the post and Marsha’s infamous shirt that started it all is here.)
I never really thought it would last. Usually these internet things come and go, right? Strong is the New Skinny came but it didn’t go. I don’t think it’s ever going to go.
Strong is the New Skinny is a sign of the times and the Digital Revolution we’re living in . It’s about old ideals going away, creating our own ideals and living authentically to our own values.
I believe that’s the true reason Strong is the New Skinny spread the way it did and keeps spreading.
As much as it’s thumbing a collective nose at an unachievable stereotype for beauty and women’s ideals – and some really cool T-shirts – its a lot more.
For me personally, Strong is the New Skinny represents the idea that we all have the opportunity to decide for ourselves what we want for our lives and what standards we’ll live by. We all have a voice now and we don’t need permission from anyone to live our passions and define ourselves.
I spent a lot of my life hoping others would invite me to their party. The world has changed now and none of us have to wait to be invited to anything anymore. Each of us has the power to invite ourselves to whatever we have the passion to create.
Skinny is what you’re born with, strong is what you build.
Skinny is easy. You either win the genetic lottery and have a body that society covets or you abuse your body into the cultural ideal with too much cardio, not enough food and maybe some pills on top of it.
Strong is different though. Strong is about hard work. It’s about showing up day after day, year after year and decade after decade. Strong is about showing up setback after setback.
Strong is about taking control of your life, your health and your body and creating positive change.
You can’t buy strong. You can’t starve yourself into strong. You have to put in the work and the effort and train intelligently. You have to show up every day and do the work.
You don’t get strong without putting in the time and doing the work.
Skinny is something you either have or you don’t. Strong is something you can build if you want it bad enough.
Strong is saying no to taking what they give you and no to what they tell you you can and can’t do.
Strong is saying no to doing what you’re told by a pop culture machine that doesn’t care about you.
Strong not taking what you can get and being thankful you got it.
In broader terms, strong is about those of us who have been told no – regardless of talent, skill or willingness to work – now having the opportunity to decide for ourselves what direction our lives will take.
Strong is Strong is the New Skinny – Tens of thousands of people who clicked “Like” when presented with the idea of deciding for themselves what standard they were going to live by.
ttys
Adam
About Adam
Great post, Adam!
I’ve been “being” and athlete for quite some time and now finally getting around to taking lessons learned along the way and sharing them with others. I had no idea “Strong is the new skinny,” had been around for a while…good things last right? Gotta love the internet for info gathering!
You hit the nail on the head. Strong is a decision. Strong is an action. Strong is about making a choice; day in and day out, everyday.
Thanks, Teresa! Glad you liked it!
Yeah, Strong is the New Skinny has been around for a few years. Everyone says it now because we were saying it on Facebook for a long time
Adam
I like strong is the new skinny as a concept…
… but we’re still so focused on appearance, particularly for women. I had a look at the shirts for sale, and was disappointed at the “this is why I squat” and “strong is beautiful” options.
If you don’t have the ideal slender body type, being “skinny” is also a lot of work. I very much doubt that starvation diets and hours on the treadmill are “easy” or enjoyable. Arguably, being strong is a lot healthier, but fashion model or fitness model, we’re still holding up body ideals that are not achievable for the vast majority of women.
Strong is good, I agree… but it’d be nice if we could separate lifting heavy and maintaining a healthy diet from the way a woman’s butt looks. Just my two cents.