Why are we say such hateful things about our bodies?

After a recent hoop class I was in the change room with a student. Who asked me if hooping would give her good abs? I said yes but then she went on to tell me how terrible hers were and even lifted her top to show me......the tiniest tummy I have ever seen! Really it was toned and everything nothing wrong with those abs. Why do women always criticise their own bodies? We should be embarrassed that we would be so cruel to ourselves. If you talked to a friend like that you wouldn’t have many! So why do we do it to ourselves.

When I was a teenager I read an article in Cleo that said ‘if you don’t point out your flaws chances are men won’t notice them’. For some reason this one article stuck with me for life and I rarely speak badly of myself in front of men. I do remember slipping up one time and showing my cellulite to a long term boyfriend (clearly I was getting to comfortable). He took one look at me and said ‘don’t ever do that again’ and I never will. The thing is he didn’t know it was there till I told him!

I wish I had this same attitude when I am surrounded by women but for some reason I struggle. I talk about how I’d like thicker hair, browner skin.... I’ll even point out my spots to another woman.

Men and women still have such different attitudes to their bodies. I know men are now facing enormous pressure to look good but it’s still far more frequent to hear women beating themselves up.

I have to say that we are part of the problem! The other night watching TV some glam celebrity came on TV and said ‘I’ve always had a good body, I guess I just have good genes’. My friend said ‘does she have to be so arrogant’, the thing is it’s not feminine to be cocky. We don’t actually like to hear other women talk about how great their bodies are but they are great and we should talk about it!

I love my legs. I think they have just the right amount of shape. Also I’m a bit fascinated (yes I said fascinated) by my arms... I never had muscle there and ever since I started hooping they are so toned... I’ll show you them if you ask, yes the gun show! Get a ticket!

What is your favourite body part?

My Mum is a Hula Hooper

When I first started hooping I couldn’t shut up about it! Actually not much has changed but it was worse back then. I would talk your ear off, I knew I was doing it but I just couldn’t stop. So of course when I visited home (Perth Australia) I took hoops with me to show my family. My mum and my sister both loved it (everyone does).

When I went back to the UK I was learning to be a hoop teach. I used my Mum and sister as guinea pigs. I would pick a hoop move then create a tutorial for them, it was great practice for me but it was also really useful for them as there weren’t any classes in Perth or at least that is what they thought.

My Mum was looking for classes in Perth but couldn’t find any. She did however find a hooper who was willing to teach her in her backyard. This is the text I got afterwards!

She obviously loved it but my Mum is a social butterfly and she wanted to share the experience with other people so she kept looking for classes and eventually found Soul Hula.

Then I get an email saying ‘I can do aback roll!!! I’m running away to join the circus! Xx mummy xx’ I could completely relate to this... I had just quit my Accounting Job to work full time on Happy Healthy Hoops.

When she came to London for my 30^th last year, she kept telling the other students in my class ‘I go to classes in Perth and it’s my favourite hour of the week’.  I actually found this sweet but a bit embarrassing. A lot of my students tell me this but I thought my mum was doing the hard sell on my them and I cringed every time she said it.

A few weeks later I met my Mums hoop teacher Shannie and she told me that my mum had said her that her classes were the best park of her week! And it dawned on me that my Mums hooping had nothing to do with me. She is an addict!

Who have you shared your hoop with that surprised you?