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Your New Year’s resolution might be to drop a few pounds or get in better shape, and that’s f*cking awesome. You deserve to feel fabulous in your body. However, you should probably know that it’s going to take work and dedication.
That’s why Women’s Health magazine is saying goodbye to the phrases “bikini body” and “drop two sizes” on their cover in 2016.
According to a letter from the mag’s editor-in-chief, Amy Keller Laird, readers are over seeing cover stories that make ridiculous, too good to be true promises. After banning the words “shrink” and “diet” in 2015, readers also want to see the news phrases dropped, and Women’s Health is listening.
“Since our goal is always to pump you up, and never to make you feel bad, here’s our pledge: They’re gone. They’ll no longer appear on Women’s Health covers,” Laird wrote.
Laird also bid farewell to the phrases via break up letters.
Dear “Bikini Body,”
You’re actually a misnomer, not to mention an unintentional insult: You imply that a body must be a certain size in order to wear a two-piece. Any body—every body—is a bikini body. You’ve got a shaming, negative undertone that’s become more than annoying. Listen, rocking a bikini does require confidence, but we’d rather focus on the greater benefits of getting a strong-as-hell core: running, surfing, dancing, climbing, being able to carry a 2-year-old up and down the stairs 10 times a day. When one reader said, “I hate how women’s magazines emphasize being skinny or wearing bikinis as the reason to be healthy,” it became so clear: We never want to be that type of women’s magazine. So, “Bikini Body,” see ya. Wouldn’t wanna be ya.
Dear “Drop Two Sizes,”
We’ve been in a relationship for most of WH’s 10-year history, so it’s tough to tell you this, but the time has come: We’ve grown apart. Frankly, we’ve outgrown you. Yes, it’s true that many of us are looking to drop a few pounds—surveys and studies prove as much. But two sizes in one month? Not super practical, or even all that healthy. Sorry, but women in 2016 want stories that, as one reader so aptly suggested, “focus on wellness and less on unrealistic weight-loss goals.” Simply put, “Drop Two Sizes,” it’s over. Feel free to move on with some other magazine’s cover, but we’re no longer your girl.
Similarly, Lauren Conrad announced that the word “skinny” was officially retired from her website (unless it refers to skinny jeans, of course).
We look forward to seeing more realistic health goals and body positivity in the future, Women’s Health!
