Naked, Naked Everywhere… And Not An Ounce Of Fat
I
have often posed this question to my personal training clients, and their
answers have varied as widely as their success rates… and often in direct
relation. But seriously… what if we all
walked around naked?! Think of how
different our world would be.
(Assume,
for the sake of argument, that all of the apocalyptic predictions of global
warming have, indeed, come to pass… and we are not forced to weather the brutal
Midwestern winter in our birthday suits).
First
of all, we could no longer define ‘success’ by the label on our clothing. The red-carpet media frenzy would ask the
question, “Who is training you?” rather than “Who are you wearing?” Would there be less theft? Less bullying in schools? Less debt?
Yes, we would miss the expansive canvas of color, texture and pattern
that fashion provides… but would we then focus more on the colors of
nature? The deep green of rain dampened
leaves against a stormy grey sky… the symphony of color in every sunset? Would we realize how truly similar we all are
as members of the human race… and how
insignificant our physical differences become when we are all, basically, ‘skin
colored’ and not nearly as decorative as, say, the animal kingdom? Or would our naturally creative nature push
us to wax patterns into our chest hair and tattoo our flesh in vibrant
colors? Would we take better care of our
skin, realizing that it is essentially our ‘hide’, designed for a lifetime of
wear? Would the strip clubs go out of
business… or would we find other ways to push the limits of morality? Would we hire people to sanitize our public
transportation seats? Just think about all of the things in
our world that would be drastically changed by the removal of something as
simple as clothing.
My
hypothesis is that, overall, one of two things would eventually happen. Either we would revert back to the medieval
conception that ‘big is beautiful’… or, more accurately, ‘more fat = well fed =
prosperous person’ (enter a brand new way to create and idolize an elitist
subset of humanity…well, not new…
just revisited). Or, without the mantle of deception and status to cover a multitude
of flaws, our human race emerges healthier. The focus shifts from ‘how can I cover it up’
to ‘how can I make a permanent change’.
Yes, one may wish to invest heavily
in the cosmetic surgery stocks but, in general, given the current emphasis on
the toned/fit/slender ideal, we may have a fighting chance at a world ‘in
balance’. Health food, fruits and
vegetables would be cheaper and easier to find.
We would walk or bike to work as often as possible, simply to drop that
extra 200 calories each morning. We may
even practice a little more self- control... and ‘eating our feelings’ would
mean simply eating our weight in baby carrots.
We would probably keep ourselves impeccably groomed, and cleaner
overall, potentially leading to a lower rate of germ/disease transmission. Not only that, but we would probably keep our
environment cleaner as well! We would have to feel the cigarette butts
under our bare feet, and the amount of dirt on our skin by the end of the day
would be a tangible reminder of how dirty our atmosphere really is.
How
differently would the workplace function in such a world? In the same way that many offices enforce a
dress code, employers may require that a specific body fat % be maintained in order to work there! Can you imagine?! Incentive packages would include gym
memberships and mandatory sun screen along with the company phone. Why?
Because each and every time you interact on behalf of the company… you
ARE the face/body/impression of the company.
Each time you meet with a client, they will be making a snap judgment
about you based, not only on your products and platforms, but on how confident
they feel in your ability to represent their interests… as a person. Not only as an extension of your firm, but as
an individual. In some cases, your first
impression could make or break the sale!
But
wait… isn’t that true today? Shouldn’t employers be more concerned
with the image of health their firm portrays?
Don’t they realize that, subconsciously, clients gravitate more towards
the personification of strength, health, and vitality? Shouldn’t they be allowing, and encouraging,
their employees to find time to work out? Shouldn’t they be instituting CorporateWellness programs in order to keep these ideas at the forefront of their
corporate mentality? Don’t you think
they would… if we all had to walk
around naked? ;)
