One of the things I love about my job is how diverse it is. A few months ago, I found myself at the International Open Bodybuilding Championship as part of a documentary about doping among athletes, and was interviewed about the role of social media in affecting athlete’s health.
Between all the ultra-buff athletes, in minimal clothing and with tans painted on using paint rollers, I felt like I was on another planet. To say that I stuck out like a sore thumb was an understatement! In my mind, I thought of bodybuilding as a show of physical prowess, involving, for example, lifting unbelievably heavy weights. Instead, groups of athletes would line up on stage and hold various poses that showcased the appearance of their bodies, all while the judges scored their bodies and the crowd cheered. It felt somewhat like a beauty pageant, only with different types of bodies.
In my interview, I tried to strike a balance between describing that yes, overall, social media can contribute to worsened body image and an unhealthy relationship with sport. But no, not all the athletes in the room would have a distorted body image and “issues.”
One quote from an athlete stuck with me, though. She said: “My children will be relieved when the championship is over, because then mommy can eat with them again and does not need to go to the gym for hours every day.”
When leaving, I saw one of the first-place athletes calling her mother: She held up her trophy and was beaming with pride. Bodybuilding required utmost dedication and hard work, and she had been rewarded for that.
On the train home it got me thinking about academia. How often I have heard colleagues talk about time with family and holidays infringed upon because “mommy needs to finish a grant application,” and working conditions that led to burnout. I had to laugh when my cousin (in the insurance industry) asked how much money we earned from a journal for each published or reviewed article. She could not believe we did that for free! And yet, for all its flaws, there are reasons we stay, and we too bask in the pride of a published article, or a grant acquired with positive reviews.
It’s important to look with a critical eye at human behavior and the lives of others. And equally so, to take a critical look at our own careers, what we consider “normal,” and what we could change to improve our own well-being, and those of our colleagues.
Jessica Alleva, assistant professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience