Hot or Not?

No, don’t answer that question about me. I’m just going to live in la-la land and assume that all of you think I am the human equivalent of Fancy Feast and leave it at that. (No I don’t know what that analogy means either, shut up.)

Since starting the Jillian Michaels Experiment (which oddly has been waaaay easier than I had expected – not sure what to think of that yet), one of the most frequent comments I’ve received both on the net and in real life is about how Jillian looks.

People have very strong opinions about her (as might I if I had ever seen The Biggest Loser, which I haven’t). Women either think she looks like a dude or that she’s completely bufftastically awesome. I haven’t had one person look at the book cover and just go… “Meh, she’s all right.”

Either way, she has made an incredible transformation (thanks to Turbo Jennie for the “before” pic):

All of this body ideal talk got me thinking. Back in the day, when I started my whole fitness kick (What – you thought I was always this crazy? I was the softest squishiest geek you ever pushed into her locker in High School.) Amy Lee of Evanescence – yes I went through a Goth phase and yes I know I just dated myself, shut UP and let me finish already – was my ideal body type and I thought that Kelly Ripa looked “hard” with her visible pecs & bulging bis.

And so it was with this attitude that I found Tom Venuto’s book “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle,” which became my weight-lifting and nutrition bible for the next year. The subtitle read: How to be a fitness model or just look like one. I thought the term “fitness model” meant the girls who appear on Shape & Self and the like. Who wouldn’t want that? It was a couple of years before I realized that “fitness model” is an actual title that means something akin to this:But by then I was too firmly ensconced in the fitness world to care. I loved my exercise. I loved my new muscles. I loved that I could climb up the fireman pole at the playground without using my legs. I loved that when I flexed my back, it actually rippled. And it never occurred to me that I had passed right on by Amy Lee and was closing in on Kelly Ripa, although I’ll never have her abs – but it’s not for lack of trying.

The change was subtle. Slowly but surely I started thinking of starlets like Kirsten Dunst and Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan as “squishy” and “un-toned” and even “skinny fat.” Theirs was no longer a body ideal I aspired to. But I didn’t really realize how far I’d come until a good friend’s husband looked at my Jillian Michael’s book and wrinkled his nose, “What girl would want abs like that? Gross!” Me, apparently.

Any of you experience a paradigm shift like this?

23 Comments

  1. for me it was Linda Hamilton of T2.
    Saw her.
    Loved how BADASS she was.
    Wanted to be her (down to the perpetual boybeater wearing–cringe :))

    and Jillian? can she be my nemesis even though she knoweth not who I am?

    or, perhaps, I just wanna BE HER & use the platform for good and not evil (please to refer back to your post about her ‘diet’ :))

    M.

  2. Crabby McSlacker

    So I was a tomboy practically since birth, and have never aspired to be skinny or squishy.

    Have always wanted to have muscles, just haven’t always been willing to work for ’em.

    But I do get a kick out of seeing buffed actresses!

  3. Loved Linda Hamilton as well. Always wanted to do pull-ups because of her – and now I can! I struggle with wanting to be “skinny” and wanting to be “buff.” I’ve settled on buff for now 🙂

    I have two Jillian DVD’s – the Back and Front workouts (which can be tough) – and I think she looks bufftastic. Her face can be a little weird at certain angles, but who am I to be critical of her bufftasticness? We are all a little too critical, you know? She works hard, she is hard, and it’s bufftabulous! (Look what you started)

  4. My quest for fitness wasn’t really a quest. I was always involved in sports in high school (but never that good at any of them except swimming), but when I graduated I was always working, going to school or spending time with friends, so a fitness routine for me was very minimal.

    Then about 2 years ago a friend at work gave me a workout video and I was hooked on that. That same year I found my dog at work (long story short: the maintenance guys had been feeding her sausage biscuits for a week), and as soon as I saw her I knew she was my dog…so that launched me into walking in our neighborhood. Pretty soon I would walk her and then walk myself…hubby got me an iPod and I started walking longer and longer…soon I started challenging myself to do other things: eating healthier, hiking trails, push-ups, and reading everything I could get my hands on about fitness. Now I’m proud to say that I’m a runner and loving every minute of it. I eat food to fuel my body (while still enjoying the occasional – *daily* – dessert), and I feel better than ever. My husband works out too and honestly our fitness is just another part of our routine each day. There are days when I don’t want to do it, but I’m so motivated to walk Maggie each day that by the time I get out there just think “what the heck – I can do this” and I’m never disappointed. I’m so glad one thing ping-ponged into another because fitness is very important to me now and its fun! I loved being active in high school, but I never thought of it as exercise. Oh and my favorite body part is now my calves, and my arms aren’t too bad either! Sorry this is so long! 🙂

  5. Question to everyone doing the Jillian’s Making the Cut. How long is it taking you to complete the circuits each day? Are you doing them all once or twice?

  6. I never saw T2 so I just went and looked up the pics – you guys are right! LH is one tough chick.

    Colleen – you go girl ! Isn’t it funny how it just becomes your life? Same thing happened to me.

    Anon – Good question. The book says to do them once through and then move on to the next circuit completing all circuits for the day under 45 min. It’s taking us about 30 minutes tho and we are not rushing. I’m surprised at how easy the circuits are too – and we are doing everything to toughen them up (setting our tread speed to 10 mph, lifting as heavy as we can etc.) It’s just a short workout. Although I think it’s supposed to be that way – the whole cortisol thing. I’m going to do another post on this once we’ve finished week 1. What are your thoughts??

  7. Well, Linda did it for me, too. At a young age I saw T2 and decided to be that buff one day. Of course, that day may never come, but I’m still trying!

    I did go through a period of wanting to be smaller after college. Now, though, I’ve accepted that my body likes to be this size, and since that won’t easily change, I may as well work with what I have and pile on the muscle! I love being able to see muscle definition and know that I can be as active as I want.

    Re: the JM workouts, one place in the book says to do them once, one place says twice. I did the first day once through and was done in 25 minutes, no soreness or anything. Yesterday I did them through twice, which was a lot harder, and it took about 45 minutes. I’m going to stick with doing them twice, since I feel like I got a better workout.

  8. determinedtobefit

    Tom Venuto’s book is the best!

    My ideal body image has definitely changed. The buffer, the better. I started doing The Firm videos 12 years ago and I used to think they were super buff. Those women are definitely fit but compared to Cathe Friedrich and crew or the Oxygen girls they look almost squishy.

    I never thought that my body could look like much of anything. Now I think anything is possible if you are willing to be truly strict with your diet and dedicated to your training. Those women are not that buff naturally – they work *hard*.

  9. I don’t aspire to be totally rock hard buffed out like some. I’ve worried about whether I would get too toned without realizing it, but I then realized I’m way too lazy for that, so I don’t worry too much now. 😛

    I started going to Curves January 2007, when I was having trouble getting back to where I wanted to be after my 3rd baby 8 months earlier. It was the first time in my life I really started seeing muscle definition, and I loved it!

    I quit my membership, and now I just do stuff at home – amazing how much doing manual lawn work – cutting grass woth a manual push mower, using hand tools to cut weeds, digging in a garden – shape up your muscles.

    I grew up thinking women shouldn’t have muscles, because that’s what my mom said. Well, that wasn’t the only thing my mom was really wrong about. Now I think she thinks my arms are getting a little too much, but I think it’s awesome.

    And my favorite part of my body is my back. I’m thrilled with my arms, too, but I think my back is perfect – strong but still womanly.

  10. HOT!

    Hehe.

    On my “bad days/moments” as I call them (days when a bad relationship with my body comes up or I feel a slight disordered eating trigger), I long for one of those Mischa Barton type bodies. But I haven’t had one of those feelings in a long time! These days I’m all about the STRONG and CAPABLE body (esp. the badassness:)).

    Those of you who’ve bought the Jillian Michaels book- is it worth it? I’ve seen it. I’m now harbouring much desire for it. Should I be adding it to the happy collection?

  11. plasticcalifornia

    I often find untoned actresses “pretty” but wouldn’t say they were “hot”. Its all about the bufftasticness for me, and I quite like Jillian.

  12. can’t…commment…too…fixated…on Jillian’s…”before picture.”

    That’s not real, is it?? If so, she should win some sort of award.

  13. OMG Leslie, I was totally thinking the same thing! She almost looked like a man in that wedding dress from before, but I think it’s only because she a little heavy in the brow area…but now I think Jillian is a very striking and beautiful woman.

  14. Wow that before picture is scary. Totally looks like a man! I would take her abs in a heart beat. I definitely would like to look like a fitness model – more than just looking thin!

  15. I don’t see how anyone could think Jillian looks like a man. On a related note, ***shameless plug*** my post today is about the extremes of women’s weightlifting physiques, and how the ideal has shifted in the last 25 years.

    I know Jillian is extreme, but I love watching her whip folks into shape on TBL. But I still don’t agree with her book diet. In her defense, this past season she did scold some of her trainees that they weren’t eating enough to keep up with their activity level, and that’s why they weren’t losing.

    God, I love that show.

  16. JM workout – It is only taking me about 30 minutes to do. I am doing 45 minutes of running, instead of the 15 minutes of cardio. What is everyone else doing for cardio?

  17. Stephanie Quilao

    zOMG! “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” was a bible of mine too…lol…

    The scene of LH doing pullups and cleaning her gun later on in T2 was simlply awe-inspiring. I’ve always liked Angelina Jolie in the Lara Croft movies as I have always secretly wanted to be able to tote guns and kick bad guy ass like her. I loved Jennifer Garner’s bod when she played Elektra. In general, I like Jen’s toned but not overly buff look.

  18. Love the pics!
    I used to aspired to be skinny, like ballerina skinny. That was back when I was taking dance, and the studio head talked about dancers needing to be thin. (Not the best impression on prepubescent girls!)

    Now I want a body that is fit, toned, and strong. It’s not just about looks anymore.

  19. JM mentions in her book that she’s short and stocky. Says she shapes her body by completely avoiding external oblique work and building up lats to give her waist some curvature. Very interesting. It was difficult to believe before I saw this picture!

    I just asked hubby if i could get “too buff” for his liking. He said, “no way, go for it!”.

  20. I did the JM “Making the Cut” 30 day workout almost exactly a year ago and I found it to be only slightly challenging, and since I’ve kept up with exercising daily, I would wager that it would be easier now (feels good to say that!)

    I also remember that the workout required you to complete the circuit twice before moving on to the next circuit. Maybe that’s what you next to do Charlotte– step it up a notch, girl!

    I also agree that strong bodies look way better than just skinny bodies and I’ve used that idea to fuel my perception of my ideal body. I don’t have very many curves naturally (straight as an arrow) so achieving muscle definition gives me a curvier, more shapelier body.

    And I think JM is beautiful (are we keeping tabs?)

  21. Yeah, Ms Hamilton makes me sick whenever I look at her. I would LOVE to have her arms.

    Is it just me or in the before pic she totally looks like a guy?

  22. I strongly believe men have a problem with women with toned bodies like Jillian Michaels’ because she is one who isn’t helpless and WILL kick your ass if you don’t lave your objectifying tendencies at the door. I, for one, love it. However, when I first started on my individual “Wonder Woman Look Alike Contest,” and looked to build like the fitness instructor you have posted, I turned to a gym employee for tips. He seemed really passionate and decried that I should be careful not to look like a man, how Jessica Simpson had toned and now she looked like a man, etc etc etc. I personally find it bulls*it (the comparison). I want my muscles, not my fat or skin, to bulge. That doesn’t make me a man, stupid. It makes me physically stronger and healthier. I would LOVE Ms. Michael’s abs because to get to the point indicates that she’s doing something right with her cardio, strength & diet. Boo to all of the boys who are threatened by a physically strong woman.

  23. I have one pet peeve: MEN’S TIGHT SHORTS. It’s one thing if you’re a biker (I’ve noticed they make extra discreet shorts). There’s a gentleman at the gym who isn’t too toned, but you can tell he cares about his body. He wears a hand band, lycra tanks and… short, short lycra shorts that come up halfway on his thighs. It’s kind of uncomfortable to look at because thanks to his shorts, I know he’s quite endowed, even at his old age. It’s really gross to have to look at.