Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
Bear with me. Read the whole thing please….. this is from my heart.
This piece was originally written as a Facebook post on the day the photo was taken: a few days after my 50th birthday in June, 2014.
“This is my favorite picture from my photo shoot because it actually shows my hard work. This photo may offend some (in the current anti-fitspo sentiment) and if so, I apologize. That’s not my intent. I am not looking for comments nor compliments. I am comfortable enough in my own skin to no longer require external input, so please don’t feel that you “need” to say anything.
Sincerely, I hesitated to post this but; ultimately I am for a couple of reasons.
First, because I am a figure competitor, this IS me. I haven’t always looked this way. I worked hard to get to this point. I’m fully clothed (even wearing more than you’ve seen in my stage photos). My husband and family support me. Many of my friends also participate in this hobby (I love my fitness girls the best – you ladies rock!!!!).
There are three things I want to specifically point out in hopes that I might be able to help SOMEBODY.
(1) This was taken a week after my 50th birthday. It does not matter how old you are.
(2) I am 15 (Fifteen) pounds heavier in this photo than I was at my last competition over a year ago. The scale is a liar!!! Weight does not matter!! No, I don’t think I need to lose 15 pounds. If this photo makes a difference to even one person who drives themselves crazy weighing every day, I will be thrilled!!
(3) Several of my friends [and family too] don’t care for the “hard” muscular female body that I appreciate so much…..it’s not for everybody. Strangers make comments. People sometimes look at me oddly. I wear long sleeves when I teach. Close friends treat me like I’m a freak when I’m in show-prep. It’s all okay. Sincerely. I CHOOSE this lifestyle.
But what I wanted you (my friends and family) to see is that I [we] don’t always appear “overly” muscular. All of the pictures were taken on the very same day and yet my body is different in every one of them. Hard in the first one. Very soft in several of the others.
People used to make fun of my big legs and I’ve been told more than once that they’re “manly”. Well, I kind of like um!!!
Yup. This is me. No make up. No hair-do. No pretense. No cover-up. Just me. and I kind of like it.