Remember why "you just run"

The other day, someone on my team said that a certain time to qualify for our conference meet was “insulting”. But really, it was me and every other runner who has ever been proud of what we do—whether it’s fast, slow, long or short—who were truly insulted by that remark.

True, I don’t have to worry about qualifying for our conference championship. True, I can run pretty fast. But there are a lot of people who would do anything to be at my ability level, just like I would do anything to race with Shalane and Kara.

My point is that running isn’t about being the best out of everyone else… It’s about being the best that you can be. That sounds corny, but it’s true. Runners will waste their talent and their minds worrying about who to beat next and how many miles they have to run to do it. It’s like this big epiphany when you realize how much you love running and devote yourself to improving at it. But when you lose sight of the pride that comes along with crossing the finish line—and I mean crossing it at all, period—you lose sight of what matters.

Fat-Shaming in Digital Imaging class

Today in my Digital Imaging class, we had an assignment that really bothered me.

Our book, Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-On-One by Deke McClelland, is an excellent tool for anyone who wants to master the basics of Photoshop. After about two months of class, I can successfully manipulate photographs to make them more aesthetically pleasing, or to infuse reality with imagination. However, Deke offended me in the latest lesson.

The Liquify filter and all of its tools are powerful, powerful elements of Photoshop CS5. You can use them for fun, for good, or, in this case, for evil. I included the picture above because it looks like a perfect of example of using Photoshop to create a false image of perfection that affects the way many girls (and boys) see themselves. 

We were asked to use the Warp tool, which “stretches and squishes” pixels (as Deke put it), to edit a photo of a normal-looking woman sitting with her head tilted to the side. First, we had to move her elbows and shoulders around a little because they were uneven. But after that, Deke let us know that the woman’s weight was not acceptable.

“The stool our lovely model is sitting on is having an unfortunate effect on her thighs and hips,” Deke writes. Sorry, but, you’re wrong. 

She’s a perfectly healthy woman who didn’t need to be made skinnier in order to enhance the photo. It’s fat-shaming, honestly. The fact that I’m receiving a grade because of this makes me sick. 

I know my reaction might seem a little dramatic, but I’ve struggled with body image issues. Almost every girl does, and many boys do, too. I can’t say I’ve ever had a friend who didn’t think they were fat or ugly at some point, and I know plenty of people with eating disorders and depression. It’s scary, and I don’t like contributing to it.