‘Pornification of exercise’ sparking gym-phobia among women says leading clinical psychologist

THE proliferation of steamy workout pictures getting around social media is leading more women to avoid the gym, a leading clinical psychologist says.

THE “pornification of exercise” is making women so uncomfortable about their appearance they are avoiding the gym, a leading clinical psychologist says.

Research conducted by women’s-only gym chain Curves has found people are avoiding workouts because of anxiety about their appearance.

Balmain-based psychologist Louise Adams says the research adds to the growing body of evidence about the damaging effects of the proliferation of imagery depicting women “hot for sex” in the fitness world, as well as social media.

“This messaging is so damaging,” Ms Adams said. “You will see women looking like they are about to have sex, with crop-tops, minuscule outfits, tanned and oiled. It has nothing to do with reality.”

Ms Adams has just run the first “gym therapy” class at Curves gym at Petersham in an attempt to counter the rising tide of sexualised imagery.

The workshop aimed to give women the tools to overcome the bombardment of unreal imagery, as well as boost their confidence with practical exercises based around “self-compassion”.

L to R: Michelle Green from Curves gym and psychologist Louise Adams watch Tess Hynes and Julie Goganovski work out during a “gym therapy class”. Picture: John Appleyard

The growing popularity of “fitspiration” — motivational internet memes popular on sites such as Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram, had fuelled the problem, Ms Adams said.

Such images have become hijacked with sexual poses of women and slogans from raunch-culture, with phrases such as “bitches”, “getting hot”, “sucking it up” and “enjoying the pain”.

“This constant bombardment of pornographic imagery has a huge impact, it makes people feel inadequate and anxious and they avoid exercise, which is the last thing we want,” Ms Adams, an expert in body image, said.

The research, conducted by Curves Australia to shed light on why people avoid gyms, found more than half questioned admitted to being too scared to visit a fitness centre because they “don’t look good in Lycra”.

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Social media is flooded with these kinds of images. Picture: Supplied

An example of ‘fitspiration’. Picture: Supplied

The survey of 1400 Australians and New Zealanders also found 38 per cent stayed away from exercise as they feared looking “silly” in front of other people. And 46 per cent admitted to experiencing anxiety while exercising in public.

“It’s estimated we are bombarded with over 5,000 Photoshopped images a week — and that’s not OK,” Ms Adams said. “We need to buffer this constant flow of imagery — unfollow that Instagram of ‘bikini-wearing women’.”

Ms Adams, who runs a weight management clinic at Balmain, said fitness should be fun for everyone, of all ages and body types. Her workshop used the concept self-compassion, as a psychological tool to motivate, with the idea of “being your own best friend, not your own worst enemy”.

She flies off to New Zealand later in June to run more workshops, and the Curves chain of gyms will run her workshops around the country via webinar.