Ah, cellulite. The dimpled, cottage-cheesy texture millions of women view as an enemy to vanquish from our thighs and butt. We battle it with creams, oils, massages, coffee grounds, fake tans, and all manner of workouts in hopes of eliminating the shameful evidence of imperfection.
Like so many of us, fitness instructor Riva Siggins has fought that war with herself. But a powerful photo series she shared is inspiring people to raise the white flag and put down the cellulite shame for good.
The difference angles and lighting can make
“Exposing myself in the hope it helps at least one of you be kinder to yourself and celebrate what your body can do more,” Siggins wrote on a photo carousel that starts with a side-by-side of two captured moments in the same athletic event. On the left side, labeled “the picture I posted…” her legs look smooth. On the right side, labeled “the one I went to delete…” the cellulite on the back of her thighs is visible.
The rest of the photos show her body in various moments during the competition, some of which show her body in ways she considered not sharing.
“It’s so easy to only share photos you only feel you look ‘your best in,’” she wrote,” but bodies are meant to move and both angles and lighting can massively impact how your body looks in a split second photo.”
Siggins has clarified that none of the photos are edited. It’s a bold reminder that the images we see on people’s social media, even if they are 100% real, don’t necessarily show the full reality. We all curate what we share, and few of us are willing to post what we see as “unflattering” photos. But that curation can hide the fact that even extremely fit women can have cellulite.
‘Repeat after me, a strong and capable body is not a body type’
Siggins is clearly in excellent shape. In fact, she’s currently training for an Ironman competition and says she is the fittest and most capable she’s ever been. And yet it would be all too easy for her to feel bad about her body because of some visible cellulite in a photo.
“It’s so easy to compare to snapshots we see online and think that a healthy and capable body is a body type,” she wrote. “The fact the two photographs of my body can look so different taken just moments apart is a reminder to not let one photograph you see online become the standard you hold your own body against.”
As she shared in her viral post, “All the photos in this post show the version of my body that is its healthiest and most capable.”
What a wild world we live in, where seeing some cellulite could make people doubt the fitness of someone who can run a half-marathon like it’s nothing. (Okay, probably not nothing, but far more easily than most.)
So many women needed this reminder
Siggins’ post was met with comment after comment from women not only praising her, but thanking her for helping them see their own bodies differently:
“Thank you for this. There are so many clothes I am not wearing because of the way my skin looks. While I know I have a beautiful and healthy body. All that because of social media and also because some girls probably had some body treatments to get rid of their own cellulite. I know for having done it at some point. It’s sad.”
“This just fixed something in me lol! I train regularly and my legs still look like that in certain lights and then I feel like a fraud. Thanks for posting this 💪🏼”
“I really needed to see this today. I have been feeling down about cellulite and the way certain lighting and angles make my body look even tho I train regularly. You are beautiful and reminding me that a strong body is the most beautiful.”
“Wow. This is inspiring. I haven’t worn shorts for over 10 yrs bc I’m embarrassed of my legs. Such a waste of my energy.”
“Girl I needed this post! 👏👏👏
I do CF 5-6 times a week and was always super hard on myself bc I didn’t look like the pics I see on IG! You have no idea how much this is going to help me mentally! So thank you! 🙌❤️🔥”
“This just healed something in me. Thank you 😭😭😭”
In reality, the vast majority of women have cellulite
It’s actually quite frustrating that cellulite has been so demonized since most women have some. And by most, I mean 80% to 90% of women who have gone through puberty. Even a lot of very in-shape, fit, healthy women have cellulite.
Less than 10% of men have cellulite, so it is almost entirely a female phenomenon. Thus, all the fuss over it overwhelmingly impacts women.
Isn’t cellulite just fat? Not exactly. The Cleveland Clinic explains that cellulite is a “cosmetic condition” in which fat pushes against the connective tissue beneath your skin. That doesn’t mean unhealthy fat; normal fat can do this pushing, causing the dimpled appearance.
No one knows exactly what causes cellulite or why some people have more cellulite than others. “Genetics, sex, age, the amount of fat on your body and your skin’s thickness determine how much cellulite you have and how visible it is,” the Cleveland Clinic explains, adding that cellulite isn’t associated with any particular body type. “Although people with obesity have pronounced cellulite, it’s not uncommon for very lean people to notice the appearance of cellulite.”
Why make a big deal out of something most women have, including women who are taking good care of their bodies? As Siggins says, “how your body looks in a certain light has absolutely nothing to do with how strong or capable you are.” Amen.
You can follow @rivafitness on Instagram.
