I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately. It's been fun because there's a mix of all kinds of great things to look at: food, fashion, travel, design, crafts, etc. Even just funny stuff that people want to share.

As I was browsing yesterday, I kept seeing a picture over and over again that people were repinning.

That's kind of the thing about Pinterest. You share the things that speak for who you are and what you like or are into and then other people see it and if they like it, they repin.

The picture kinda bugged me because at first, it struck me as one of those hot-chick-with-tight-abs pictures that makes you feel kinda bad about yourself when you see it.

Shut up, chick with hard abs!

This stuff makes me mad.

What's with these chicks half-dressed?

Because honestly?
That's right. We teach them to hate their bodies and hate themselves with stuff like this:

Shut up and put some pants on.

Stuff that makes them feel if they eat something they enjoy, they should feel bad about it.


But then I went back and looked at this particular picture again.



And I realized, I like this picture.

Yes, it's still a hot chick with tight abs. But it's got a different message. A message that could very easily have been delivered like this:



Or this:





And the only reason it wasn't delivered like these others is because it's a Nike ad, not an ad for University of Phoenix or Golden Books or Behr paints.


Don't buy into the hype that you can't enjoy eating.

Don't buy into the hype that the only attractive woman is an anorexic woman.

Don't buy into the hype that you need to look like a human lollipop with a washboard strapped to your middle to be a good person.

Don't buy into all the woman-hating garbage that gets posted out there as so-called "motivation".


Do what makes you proud, whether it's running a marathon or painting a picture or making a fabulous meal for your family.

No one else is going to be able to make you as happy or as proud as you can make yourself. Be proud of you for what you can do and for who you are.

That's what being a strong woman is all about.