Comments on: DIET POP CULTURE – The Playgirl workout, a.k.a. “sweaty dudes with mustaches.”

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:02:14 +0000

LOL!!!

Let’s hope those fashions never, ever, ever make a comeback!

By: caffeineadddict

caffeineadddict — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:50:39 +0000

I wonder how people will look back on the clothes we wear today? Hopefully not in the way we are looking at this video

By: Travelgurl

Travelgurl — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:52:54 +0000

I am de-lurking to just say I still have tears running down my face and I can barely stop laughing to type this. I haven’t laughed that hard in such a long time. This was my favorite:

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards/scaryorangesalad.html

Thank you!

Oh, and Michelle, much love for all you do, I love it here. Also, I love the porny workout video. I now know what I will have playing on a loop at the next mustache party (on international mustache day, none the less).

By: julie

julie — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:22:51 +0000

That winking guy was really creepy. The hetero assumptions and standards were just disturbing. The lusty looks at the end made me laugh.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:44:17 +0000

“every women deserves a great body”

oh no! Does that mean if I do a lot of winking and bum wiggling and can-can kicks I too will grow a big porno ‘stache and bad 70′s hair.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:29:42 +0000

Yeah…it’s a mousse that looks like cerebral cortex. And an invitation to swing.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:07:29 +0000

is it just me or do the women look incredibly unhappy? Maybe because they’re being eyeballed by sweaty-short-short-wearing mustaches next to them!

Okay – and the second thing is they end by saying “This is probably the best thing that you have done today.” Really? truly? That just makes me cringe. Why do exercise videos need to do this back-handed pat on the back thing?

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:54:22 +0000

WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS:

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards/melonmousse.html

???? Seriously? I think I threw up just a little. . . .

By: deeleigh

deeleigh — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:55:22 +0000

Oh god. Please don’t put that picture into my mind.

By: Meems

Meems — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:54:24 +0000

Oh dear God no.

I can handle a lot of the exercise films, but I don’t really like my exercise sexualized to this extent. It sort of looked like there were going to have an orgy after…

By: deeleigh

deeleigh — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:54:21 +0000

Me too. I hate looking like I’m on a diet. The only diet product I’ll buy is diet pop. Don’t know why…

By: deeleigh

deeleigh — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:52:47 +0000

and both the men and the women are notably unattractive, IMHO. Bleached, scrawny, and stiff.

I was thinking back to the 1980s, asking myself “Did I ever think men like that were attractive?” And the answer is “no.”

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:27:58 +0000

Actually, I think that was my favourite part. Especially the way guy #2 is blatantly eyeballing the woman next to him.

By: WellRoundedType2

WellRoundedType2 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:04:36 +0000

My favorite/most cringeworthy aspect of diet pop culture is the branding of food with “weight watchers” or “south beach diet” or “slim fast” — whatever those foods are, I run in the other direction. If a food is marketed as part of a particular diet (not necessarily stuff that is geared for people with diabetes — although that can be weird, too) really makes me suspect of the food.
My sister bought me a “south beach” brand bar-type thing, because I asked her for something like that without any dairy or lactose in it (I like to have some of these at work for emergencies) and it was actually really tasty, but I never would have bought it myself because of the brand on it.
The idea of weight watchers desserts and slim fast candy bars just make my stomach turn.

By: Twistie

Twistie — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:15:32 +0000

Is it just me or did that line of smiling faces at the end creep anyone else out, too? It looked somewhere in the hideous intersection of porn film post-coital glow, worship at a cult, and people who have never taken drugs pretending to be high.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m going to be giggling over this the rest of the day.

By: Dee

Dee — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:44:06 +0000

Seriously, though. I spent years sifting through the fitness culture for stuff that was fairly positive and that didn’t focus on weight loss, “fat burning” and that kind of thing – because exercise/movement/whatever you want to call it made me feel good and strong and happy with my body, and food restriction/weight obsession/diet culture made me feel horrible.

When I was first involved in fitness and felt like I needed something to follow, I ended up with a lot of very dance-focused material. I was willing to put up with some talk about “body sculpting” but that’s where I drew the line – between “body sculpting” and “fat burning.” Isn’t that funny? Visualizing an attempt to, say, make my arms “more toned,” I could accept – firm, 16″ diameter arms – what’s not to love? Visualizing movement as a way to (attempt to) remove every ounce of fat from my big, nicely shaped body felt wrong, though.

Judging from the bodies of most of the women on the exercise videos, it seems likely that they had that as a goal. But, as long as they didn’t talk about it and I liked the video, I was okay with it. Actually, Karen Voight was probably my favorite, and she was very lean. Then she got breast implants and just looked like a freak. But, at least she didn’t talk about weight loss.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:14:39 +0000

Not in my house, they’re not!

Okay, yes they are. Maybe I just wish they weren’t.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:10:09 +0000

Oh, I love those Weight Watchers cards. Truly an internet classic.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:57:59 +0000

Actually, yeah, I don’t have much against fitness culture, per se, except when it’s focused on weight loss. OR BLATANTLY RIDICULOUS, like this video.

And don’t you talk that way about MY BOYFRIEND.

By: deeleigh

deeleigh — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:55:36 +0000

Okay, okay. But, diet culture and fitness culture aren’t exactly the same thing. Fitness culture can be funny as hell, but ideally it’s about building up strength, flexibility and endurance – not about starving yourself. In my view, strengthening your body = good. Starving your body = bad.

I took actual aerobics and step classes for years – while involved in fat acceptance. I avoided anything with negative body talk and anything that talked about dieting (so never, ever went anywhere near stuff that was aimed at fat women). That said, I LOVED the Cher step video, and I’m sure it’s good for a laugh or two – but I can’t find a clip of it online.

And, I know know how you love Richard Simmons, Michelle, but my sense of irony just doesn’t stretch that far. He’s just one long, inexhaustible cringe.