Ciaty Lotz plays Captain Sara Lance/White Canary on Legends of Tomorrow and Arrow (Capt Lance will appear in Arrow’s season finale, btw). Some of you may remember her better as Stephanie Horton on Mad Men. Recently, Caity used social media to push back on body-shamers. Being trained in martial artist and dancing as well as acting has made Caity incredibly fit. So why is a very fit person trying to shut down body-shaming? Because it happens to everyone and it hurts no matter what they shame you for.
Last November, Caity posted these comments about being teased as a child for being muscular or ‘boyish’:
When I️ was young I used to get called a boy & made fun of for being so muscular. I️t made me feel insecure about my body. Now I get to be like 🖕I’m a superhero
Every1 has different body types the goal of working out isn’t 2b something ur not, it’s to feel good & be healthy pic.twitter.com/aqKsweTCDp— Caity Lotz (@caitylotz) November 16, 2017
It’s hard for me to see that figure, especially that beautifully defined arm, and accept that someone shamed her for it. But I know it happened, people just can’t help themselves. Yesterday, Caity reinforced her message by posing in a green bikini and again, speaking out about body shaming:
I don’t know if Caity is addressing her detractors specifically or lending her voice to the larger discussion based on things she read. Probably both. I like that she calls out the people who comment as if there is a right and wrong body type. Plus, if a person is an unhealthy weight in either direction, a professional or somebody close to them has already told them that, I assure you. Nobody is going to be saved by a stranger on the internet claiming to mention the weight or lack thereof because they’re “concerned.” I love that Caity approached this and I love how she approached this.
Let’s be kind out there, folks. If not for ourselves, then for the younger generation. Kids can remember everything we say. If they hear a snarky comment about someone’s body, they don’t consider the motivation, they just register that that body type made you upset.
Photo credit: WENN Photos, Twitter and Instagram
I am a HUGE Arrowverse fan. Legends has been off the hook this year, if you aren’t watching you are missing some awesome stuff. I love Caity, she’s awesome. I have never seen her with that red hair, WOW! Love it.
I stopped watching Legends a while ago but I love that you have this story about Sara/Ciaty (I’d never knew her real name before). She is strong and beautiful.
My 2 y/O likes to return the favour and give my big belly raspberries, and now she’s sad that she doesn’t have a big belly like mommy lol
I use the opportunity to talk about different bodies are all beautiful and hers is perfect just as it is and she shouldn’t try to look like anyone but herself. It’s never too early to try and preemptively build positive body image before the world tries to tear her down.
Unless you chose it yourself, and paid for it, then fair game. Amirite ladies?
Less snarkily, I do find it interesting that ‘culturally’ body snarking is ok if it’s something they’ve paid for. Guilty af, myself, I sometimes sh@t on people who I feel contribute to unrealistic standards.
The thing is, Hecate is right. Many times you have no idea who you are influencing. Who is reading, or listening. If you even see this blog as a microcosm, even here the negative toned articles being out more negative posts. Like to like and mental priming.
I used to do this, too. Now I see the extreme plastic surgery/fillers as a sign of mental/emotional issues.
Over the past couple of years I’ve noticed I criticize appearances when there’s no call for it. I know it behavior ingrained by a lifetime of hearing women (mom, friends, etc) criticizing appearances. Now I see it as bitchy and am trying to retrain my own brain/behavior to not do it.
Very nicely said, especially the line about a lifetime of ingrained behaviour. It’s not fun to examine the lies we tell ourselves for why it makes it ok. I mean online comments vs public announcements, still impacts, it’s just the scale is different.
Whatever, imma fan. Muscles and all.
The Moth podcast has an episode about a very very muscly woman who toned down her evolution as an athlete because everyone, including some trainers, told her to keep a certain femininity to her body.
Caity Lotz doesn’t strike me as that body type, the one people would make fun of and I am quite surprised to see her figure because she did not appear as skinny in Mad Men. She seems like the goal body (and face!) type for most yoga-green-smoothie-obsessed-white-woman out there. 🤷🏻♀️
Call me cynical but I am a bit tired of these instagram posts – body positivity is important but also not focusing on the body so much and teaching kids how to brush off stupid people from their lives is perhaps a better strategy.
I tell my kids that people being nasty is just karma telling you who to avoid in life or to protect yourself from (if you have to deal with them).
I don’t know…everytime I see a six pack my first thought is that you basically have to starve yourself for those. I guess if that’s your thing, fine but it’s a tad extreme in my opinion.
You don’t have to starve yourself for a six pack!
Definitely not. My teenage son eats more than anyone I know. Seriously, he eats constantly but it’s all healthy, he’s very committed to his athletic pursuits. And his abs have become ripped.
Nah, I don’t have to starve myself for my four-six pack. I don’t have to work that hard for it either and my arms are always muscular; the little hamster cheekies under my butt however will never disappear, no matter what I try. We all have different body types and people gain and lose weight differently. Problem is that we always want what we can’t have and too often that turns into derision towards people who DO have what we want. The more aware we are of that the less we have to feel the need to body shame, I hope.
I have had a six pack for as long as I remember and I don’t starve myself. I’m just an ecto meso morph combination body type and am naturally very muscular and thin even with no formal working out and definitely no dieting. There is no rule when in comes to bodies or how they’re made and to pass judgement just make you look insecure. ALL BODIES ARE BEAUTIFUL. They’re crazy miracles! and astounding regardless of the aesthetic form they take!
I’d take her strength over Sofia’s curves. It’s one thing to be curvy, which I am, and another to be strong.
As someone who’s been body shamed more than once, it sucks. However, can I please have her arms? Mine do not tone, no matter how much I train. However my calves go from 0 to 100 in a week.
I know what you mean. I think it’s hormonal or neurological or maybe both. I don’t get super defined arms no matter how much I train whereas my sister who almost never exercises, gets super muscular arms after just a couple weeks of doing some pushups a couple times a week.
She’s giving me serious jennifer connely vibes in that first pic.
I remember her in a movie called “The Machine” with Toby Stephens. You could definitely tell she had a dancer/athletic background. Her arms are serious goals. So pretty!
Girl, preach!! +1000 I have also too often been criticized and ridiculed for not being “soft” enough, for not having curves in all the right places, my sisters and mother constantly shame the fact that I don’t have much of a waist and how someone with my body shouldn’t be wearing bikinis because of the muscles. Being shamed for being naturally muscular happens and it happens often. Even my calves have been subject to scrutinizy, my mom bringing in a plastic surgeon and asking him what to do about the muscles on my legs, and the option was Botox. I remember all my younger sisters being there snickering. It sucks that in this society the only “acceptable” body types for women are either waif, bombshell or petite. So I really appreciate this post of Caity, I want to send it to my entire family, co-workers (mostly females are doing the criticism which sucks, I would have thought we would be more accepting of each other) even comments on here are harsher about this body type what with, “box-looking”, or SpongeBob or “looking like a man”, type of comments. I wonder when the time will come that we will be accepting and respectful of all body types.