On an October evening, a 146-pound woman dressed in neon-orange biker shorts and a black tank top squatted and heaved behind a dark grey Nissan Altima. Using her strength as the gas and her hands as the clutch, the car rolled down the street with ease. "Slight work. The power of a mind is a true talent," she captioned the video clip, which has since accumulated more than 24,000 likes.
Massiel Arias, known as "Mankofit" to her 800,000-plus Instagram followers, is a personal trainer and fitness competitor who moved to New York City from the Dominican Republic as a teenager. The 24-year old's brawny physique is worlds away from the feeble models you might spot on the pages of Vogue, but she represents a new female body image being celebrated online by women — and men.
Massiel "Mankofit" Arias, 24. Instagram Followers: 820,908. Feats of Strength: Lifts a 210-pound man. Height: 5'8″. Weight: 146 lbs. Measurements: 34-inch bust, 25-inch waist, 38-inch hips. Body Fat Percentage: 12%.Photo: Tamara Beckwith
Arias is one of a number of "fitness chicks" with a cult following on the visual social-networking site. Amidst images depicting breath-taking views, luxurious fashion and last night's dinner, there are an increasing number of shots of sexy women with bulging biceps and a dangerous set of abs. If Instagram is any indication, strength is sexiness — and there's a growing attraction to women who embrace a lifestyle of hard training and heavy lifting.
"People just want to know more about how the body works. Instagram is an easy way to connect and to see actual results with before-and-after photos," says Wilhemina casting agent Abigail Zeplowitz, who claims the popularity of these models inspires the masses to live healthier lives.
Arias uploaded her first instructional post around two years ago — but what started as a personal photo diary soon transformed into a massive fitness library.
"It started off small," she says. "Now, it's 24/7. It takes me hours of research to put together one post."
Two years in and her iPhone is a constant stream of notifications from fans who expect daily postings of meal ideas, difficult yoga poses and inspirational quotes. Each post comes with a lengthy Spanish translation outlining distinct instructions for every exercise.
"I literally say that fitness saved my life," says Arias, who started pumping iron to cope with a severe bout of depression. "When I first got into working out, it wasn't just to get a body. I was depressed."
It was her mom who convinced her to do something about her depression.
"I didn't want to be the girl on medication. My mom recommended that I go out and be active to cope with what was going on," she says. "After I started going to the gym, I started feeling better."
Arias usually poses in a sports bra and body-skimming yoga pants, showcasing a row of muscles adorned with a vine of decorative body tattoos. Scroll through the comments — often reaching the thousands on a single posting — and you'll come across everything from insults to compliments and even a few marriage proposals.
Lita "Follow the Lita" Lewis, 30. Instagram Followers: 136,843. Feats of Strength: Leg squats 225 pounds. Height: 5'5″. Weight: 160 lbs. Measurements: 36-inch bust, 29-inch waist, 39-inch hips. Body Fat Percentage: 16%.Photo: Tamara Beckwith
"Everyone has an opinion," Arias says. "When a guy says he wants to marry me, I say great. It doesn't bother me."
Because wherever these fit models go, a legion of loyal male fans trail closely behind.
Take New York Knicks basketball star Amare Stoudemire, for example. He bolstered his affinity for buff babes with a quote on his Instagram page last month: "A well-built physique is a status symbol," the meme image, titled "Why Do I Like Fit Chicks?" read. "It reflects you worked hard for it, no money can buy it. You cannot inherit it."
He's not alone.
Jonathan Montes, 25, an amusement park worker from Brooklyn, says he prefers women who take fitness seriously.
"I'm specifically into the more bulky professional female bodybuilder type — there's just something about a massively built woman that I find very attractive and alluring."
And Steve Rivers, a 30-year-old radio personality, says that he appreciates the fit-model updates in his feed.
"I'm all for it," says Rivers. "It shouldn't be anything wrong with a woman taking care of herself. It's nothing more attractive than seeing an attractive woman working out. I know a lot of women feel shy in the gym, but guys like that."
But some fit models try to avoid the sex symbol stereotype.
Sohee Lee, who turned to weight-lifting after battling anorexia, is a trainer at Peak Performance in the Flatiron district. She also shares snaps of her workouts in barely-there gear, but stresses the importance of doing so tastefully.
"I don't do a lot of selfies. I've seen crude comments on the pages of other fitness models. I just think that if you're flexing in booty shorts you could be kind of asking for [that kind of attention]," says Lee.
Sohee "SoheeFit" Lee, 23. Instagram Followers: 962. Feats of Strength: Leg presses 185 pounds, back-squats 185 pounds. Height: 5'2″. Weight: 115 lbs. Measurements: 33-inch bust, 25-inch waist, 33-inch hips. Body Fat Percentage: 18%.Photo: Tamara Beckwith
Lita Lewis or "FollowTheLita" has 136,000 followers on Instagram. The 30-year-old turned to fitness to deal with a painful breakup, and pegs herself as a curvy bodybuilder with a feminine body type. Her Instagram posts average thousands of likes and are typically comprised of body shots and video clips of her lifting huge weights, which draw both complaints and praise.
"I have people telling me they have to stop following me because I make them feel like a fat cow. They think I'm showing off," she said.
(Last month, California-based former fitness model Maria Kang sparked an Internet firestorm after she posted a shapely photo of herself, along with her two toddlers and infant, on Facebook with the tagline: "What's Your Excuse?") But Lewis says her goal is to empower women and for that she'll risk the negativity.
"When it comes to negative comments, it is what it is. When people share negativity, I think it's a reflection of their own insecurities."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
The new pin-up: Why gentlemen prefer buff
Dengan url
http://susuvirus.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-new-pin-up-why-gentlemen-prefer-buff.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
The new pin-up: Why gentlemen prefer buff
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
The new pin-up: Why gentlemen prefer buff
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar