Russell Bateman, The Skinny Bitch Collective, and The Male Gaze in Women’s Health
Last week, images surfaced of a group of young white women working out in Kenya as native Masai people danced behind them. One quick glance is all it takes to see how tone deaf and offensive this was. When you learn that the women are part of a group called the Skinny Bitch Collective, headed by a man intent on making women thinner, the whole situation only gets more cringe-worthy. There’s a big difference between women getting in shape for their health and well-being (and sure, to look good too), and women getting in shape because a man tells them that’s what they should be doing. The problem is, this kind of thing is so ingrained in our society that it’s not always easy to tell that it’s wrong, especially to the young women who join these kinds of groups. So let’s take a step back and discuss the issues at play while using the Skinny Bitch Collective as a reference.
via ABC
First is the name itself. The Skinny Bitch Collective? Not OK. Women have somewhat taken the word “bitch” back, using it as a term of endearment to refer to friends, but it’s still a word that carries a lot of weight, especially when a man is using it. The name also implies that “skinny” is good, which I really thought we were past in 2019. I guess not. Skinny doesn’t mean healthy, nor does it mean attractive. We as women need to embrace all of our curves, both in the name of female empowerment, and in the name of our health! Obsessing over being skinny can quickly turn into issues of body dysmorphia and eating disorders, which is an extremely dangerous and slippery slope.
via Well and Good
Next is Russell Bateman, the man behind “SBC,” and overall horrible person. Bateman has been known to scope out pretty young women on Instagram and recruit them to his group. All of the women are between the ages of 19-23, are all white, and are all skinny with a large social media following. He’s putting out the idea that only girls that fit into these parameters are considered “attractive” and worthy of his teachings. As a young woman, it’s so easy to go on Instagram and immediately feel bad about yourself for not looking like the perfect cookie-cutter girls who get millions of likes on their posts. In an age of social media, it’s more important now than ever to build each other up and show that all women of all shapes, colors, and sizes are beautiful too.
via iPin
Bateman has been known to tell his girls that they need to be having as much sex as possible because “a female orgasm can more than double a woman’s tolerance for pain because it’s an analgesic not an anesthetic, meaning it suppresses pain” (quote pulled from Diet Prada’s Instagram). Is your skin crawling? Because mine is. He’s also pushed women to break up with their girlfriends before starting his program. Hmm, I wonder who he thinks they should be having all that sex with then? During the workouts, the girls are told to smack each other’s asses, piggy-back their partner around the room, and other inappropriate touching exercises. He tries to back this up using science by saying that “human contact is great for your hormones – oxytocin is a cuddle hormone.” It’s no wonder then that these young girls who don’t know any better follow his instructions, believing they’re becoming their best selves through his unconventional methods.
This is the issue with the male gaze being present in women’s health. A man like Russell Bateman is not interested in the well-being of these girls, his priority lies in creating an army of girls that fit his notions of beauty and watching them work out and fight each other. Anyone can come up with pseudo-science to backup their misogynistic programs and convince unknowing girls to join. As fellow women, we must be aware of this happening, especially with the huge presence of social media in our society today. Because health is about just that – being healthy, both physically and emotionally – being comfortable in the skin you’re in and building each other up instead of trying to push a specific ideal of beauty and what it means to be fit.
#EARealBabe
Cover image via Flare