In an era when everyone is questioning the authenticity of the images that we see online, it seems bizarre that people could be so mean as to critique someone when they are at their most honest and vulnerable, but that’s exactly what has happened to the social media influencer; Whitney Simmons. Fortunately, the majority of the internet was right behind her.
While Simmons is an absolute knockout, the former gymnast understands how difficult it can be to fit in. She was forced to give up cheerleading while studying in Utah because she was considered too tall to perform stunts with and later dropped out of college. Fortunately, a passion for fitness worked wonders for both her mental and physical health, and after documenting her journey on YouTube, Symmons’ channel soon blew up. Happy to keep it real, she has taken the same approach to her Instagram and TikTok channels, where followers have praised her for talking about mental health issues and the skin condition that she suffers with, known as psoriasis. It seems beyond cruel then, that anyone would seek to put her down, but that’s the nature of social media where everyone has an opinion no matter how unqualified. Fortunately, when Simmons received a mean comment about her recent weight gain, the 31-year-old put the author on blast.
In a brave image that shows how Simmons body shape has changed during the last 12 months, the beauty wrote in part:
“GAINING WEIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING … I’ve worked hard to continue to push weight out of the desire to simply feel strong again, not to chase a certain body type. With this has brought a lot of negative criticism about my body and assumptions being made.”” author=”Whitney Simmons”]
The social media star continued: “It has been an extremely empowering year for me to put on weight, feel strong and challenge myself in and outside of the gym. I love creating fitness and wellness content because of the positive impact it has had in my life, not because I feel I have the most outstanding physique. But haven’t we evolved enough to understand that this is not what it’s about? I want to help you feel strong and to help you understand your worth and strength.”
Simmons is spot on of course. The most important aspect of working out or becoming fitter is to embrace and enjoy the journey. If you would prefer airbrushed models who hide their flaws then that’s up to each individual, but a debate over on reddit/gymsnark shows that the majority of gym enthusiasts are right behind her.
“People are so used to seeing bodies enhanced by Photoshop/filters/PEDs/surgeries, they literally don’t know what a normal human body looks like anymore,” read one comment.
“I can’t believe people still go out of their way to body shame people online, it’s disgusting. She looks amazing and like a ‘normal’ person. Good for her for calling those a**holes out,” wrote another user.
“She looks fantastic and I couldn’t believe when I saw people trashing her physique but people will trash anyone,” added yet another. “I don’t think people understand that she doesn’t train to be the most muscular or lean person in the fitness industry. She makes solid content for people learning to lift with good tips and she demonstrates great form. She seems happy so to that I say good for her.”
We couldn’t agree more. Just keep being you, Whitney Simmons!
