Body image is a topic many women feel strongly about. How do we negotiate the difference between how we feel about our bodies, and the messages we get from the culture, our family, and our peers? As feminists, it can be an even more painful experience, because we know how the cultural pressure is constructed, but that knowledge offers little solace when we look at ourselves in the mirror. Many feminists, myself included, want to end gender discrimination, but also care about physical fitness. These two things don’t have to contradict each other. Some people are committed to bringing feminism to fitness, and vice versa.

We have to reframe the way we think about fitness, not as a billion-dollar industry devoted to quick fixes, but instead think about what fitness can do for our bodies and minds. Exercise releases endorphins, feel-good chemicals. Exercise also helps you run farther and faster, and lives more exuberantly. It is amazing how the empowerment you feel through physical activity can be transferred to other aspects of your life. Many studies have shown that girls who participate in sports are less likely to become pregnant, probably because the sense of mastery they experience in sports leads to control over their sexuality.

Being physically active also makes you strong, which flies in the face of popular ideas that portray women as victims. Yet, the mainstream fitness industry often discourages women from lifting anything over 10 pounds, feeding the myth that lifting heavy weights will turn women into raging She-Hulks. She told Bitch magazine that “Our foremothers would have been in deep **** if they sat around fainting over lifting a bale of hay.” Feminists are reclaiming fitness, focusing on the sense of strength it can give women. I am thrilled that the SMU Women’s Centre has Women’s Sports Days, so women can get their sweat on. This semester, the Centre is offering Capoeira classes. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance. In traditional Capoeira, participants form a circle and spar in pairs in the centre of the circle. The sparring is notable for its fluid acrobatic play (lots of cartwheels), feints, and extensive use of sweeps and kicks. It is a very beautiful, stylized martial art, and a great workout. I encourage all women to check out the Capoeira classes at the Tower. The first class was January 26, but there are four more, Tuesdays 1-2:30 p.m. on February 2, February 9, February 16, and March 2. It is open to all skill levels, and it is FREE to all SMU women. Donations are appreciated, of course. Feminism encourages us to embrace all of our strengths: political, emotional, and physical, and the SMU Women’s Centre is committed to that philosophy.