Glancing at gossip mags while waiting in the queue at the supermarket suggests that women have just two body types: grossly overweight (which is seemingly anything over a size 12) or skinny and boney. So when Jennifer Lawrence, current heroine of Hollywood and legend among outspoken women everywhere, says that she wants to be "fit and strong", it is music to our ears. Finally, recognition of another option.
On Newsnight, speaking of playing Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games, Lawrence said that she refused to lose weight for roles, explaining: "We have the ability to control this image that young girls are going to be seeing. They see enough of this body that they will never be able to obtain and it's an amazing opportunity to rid ourselves of that in this industry."
Sure, it's silly that a body type should even need celebrity endorsement, but what Lawrence has done here is a pretty rare thing among her peers. Various female celebrities will trot out similar lines in what come across as weak Kumbaya moments, where womankind should all join hands and rejoice. Rarely though, do we ever hear high-profile women say they want to look healthy.
For those of us who lead active lifestyles, we've been flying this flag for a long time. Historically, it's been deemed rather unladylike to sweat, making exercise somewhat of a problem, lest we get a little red faced or our hair get dishevelled. Women have been ushered towards gentler forms of exercise – a spot of yoga, a cheesy Jane Fonda DVD, or if we want to go a bit crazy, some Zumba.
But the tide has been slowly turning. More and more women are shirking the idea that you're either sporty or not, and experimenting with different ways to stay active. We're pushing the boundaries of what it means to be feminine and fit. We're running ultra marathons, skateboarding, doing Muay Thai and, sorry to upset the apple cart here guys, but we're sweating profusely while doing it. What's more we're not exercising with vanity in mind. A survey of visitors to my fitness website Spikes & Heels revealed that barely any of the women working out regularly did so for weight loss reasons. The majority cited overall health, fitness and mental wellbeing as their driving force.
I particularly appreciate that Lawrence mentioned she wants to be strong. Any woman with an ounce of common sense has figured out that the "lifting weights makes you bulky" school of thought is utter nonsense. Women are becoming less fearful of the weights section in the gym and are squatting and deadlifting their way to greatness.
The "thigh gap" brigade on Tumblr – legions of young women whose mission in life is to be so thin as to see a space between the tops of their legs – have come up against a new breed of fit chicks. The "Strong is the new Sexy" crowd post photos of women with defined muscles and six packs, doing pull ups while glistening with sweat (they all still have perfect hair and makeup though – I'm not saying that this movement isn't without its flaws).
Jennifer Lawrence's comments couldn't have come at a better time. With levels of inactivity at an all-time high in this country, having someone in her position championing being fit and strong may be just the boost a young woman needs to make a change. Make your way to the weights section, ladies.
