Defining New Ways to "Tone up"

For decades the word "tone" has been used to describe a svelte type of figure. However, in more recent years I have found the word to become a bit toxic and leaning toward the meaning skinny-fat. 

Hold on, before we continue let's address the elephant in the room. We are all for healthy bodies here. Those healthy bodies do not all look the same and we recognize this as well. We are here to help change the wording we use on a daily to describe and erase toxicity from diet culture. If this is not something that jives with you, you do not need to read any further. 

I have been a dancer for nearly 28 years now. I began classes at age five and again in my very early teens. I continued on my own from here. What is my point? If you know anything about the dance world, ballet in particular, they are a very toxic weight culture. Resulting in many individuals, especially young women, to become anorexic or bulimic. (Black Swan is a great reference to this world) This continually tells girls and young women they need to be "fit" in order to leap about on the stage and move gracefully. While many male ballet dancers harbor much muscle, females are often told to restrict and diet down. Limiting energy and muscle engagement as well as emotional, spiritual, and mental damage. 

This mindset has been around for decades and it is a part of more than just the world of ballet. This is quite heavy on social media, in fitness, beauty, and fashion. This also affects individuals of all ages. My goddaughter is about to be 11 and just a few years ago she was telling her mother and myself that she was ugly and nobody wanted to be her friend because her teeth were too big. 

We all need a very important reminder that children are little adults who have no world experience. They learn from what they see. They react upon that and continue based on the reaction they in return received. Children bully when they are not taught compassion at a young age, amongst a few other important morals I think we can save for another time. 

So you see, it is everywhere. I recently left a group on Facebook because of the backlash I received from posting that as professionals we could change the dialogue by not using the word "tone" anymore to describe a physique. Oh. My. GOODNESS! The hate that is in my own field for this! 

"How dare you even think this would happen! The entire industry would cease to exist!" 
"I don't see how this is toxic if clients only know how to describe using this word."

Those two statements alone tell me that people are closed-minded and very unwilling to see change happen. When we can change the dialogue, we change the mindset, we change the outcome. Removing the word "tone" from our vocabulary can change the way we view a healthy body. 

When I hear toned I think of printers, colors, and hair dyes. Not bodies and muscle. When someone says they are "defining/developing" I often think of muscle, weight lifting, being active. The wording and the delivery do matter! Skinny-fat is a term used to define a body that is lean yet harbors little to no muscle. These bodies are often softer due to holding water weight and copious amounts of inflammation. Both doing damage to the body inside and out. 

So, you see, "tone" is really a toxic word when it comes to describing a physique. 


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