Over my 15 year career as a coach, TV personality, presenter, producer and now host of my own podcast show I have been called many things. A rebel at heart is the one that rings true the most, to the point I built an entire career on the principle of rebellion.
In 2008 the tagline for my personal training business was a ‘change is coming’. It wasn’t just a catchy line to entice people to train with me, but for two reasons.
It was a reflection of what I could see happening in society, on a cultural level, in relation to our fitness along with my affection for our inner rebel who sub-consciously rejects the status quo, decades of cultural conditioning so we can forge our own path.
It seemed over the years, every client who came to me for training or coaching was always on the cusp of personal rebellion. And what a beautiful, exciting and messy threshold it is.
When you choose to break free from the confines of the limiting beliefs and behaviours you know suffocate your soul and stand up to say “this is my body, my life and it’s my rules” Needless to say I intently become a specialist in the graceful art of personal rebellion.
In marketing terms, rebellion became the foundation of my brand, the messages and my greatest contribution. That later expanded to pursue the study and commentary of the cultural narrative of social psychology that is currently being articulated in the western world.
After appearing on prime time TV as the rouge trainer in Australia’s Next Model and the Biggest Loser, the exposure of my message and work spread nationally.
As multiple sold out tours and private coaching progressed, the rebellion became more evident culturally in 2012 when women in the western world started to actively question weight loss programs, the marketing and the messages of fitness and looked more towards personal wellness as a substitute. So did many other trainers around the country.
They started to execute programs directed towards wellbeing as opposed to fitness. This created a resistance to the dogma of commercial fitness.
This industry had never suspected the consumer would create a resistance to the messages, marketing and doctrines it delivered, let alone would it come from their most valuable consumer; women.
You see, those who began to question the fitness industry, advertising campaigns and media messages just so happened to be 72% of the market share.
The rebellion officially came alive as women through-out western culture started to question the media messaging that was formulated on the principles of self-loathing. They started to blog about it, post and share their protest at a rapid rate.
Women who were once responsible for funding nearly ¾ of a multi-billion industry started to slowly withdraw their investments in the search of solutions that didn’t make them feel like a failure.
By working with the new breed of the ‘wellness practitioner’, they slowly started to repair the adrenal fatigue inflicted by years of smashing themselves in workouts and starving their bodies of nutrients. The word had spread, there was another option to being healthy.
One of the greatest contributing factors for the early pivot from fitness towards wellness was the internet and a connection with like minds through social media. Advertisers and manufacturers who once dictated the one way conversation, were finally being met with a two way exchange.
As women started to break open to tell the truth and articles about their weight loss journeys in blogs, Facebook posts, Instagram pics and tweets, indirect permission was granted to redefine wellness according to their own terms.
It started a movement that referred to self-love, respect and empowerment. It asked us to look towards an emotional resolve and self-care as opposed to the perfect body. It began showing happiness doesn’t come on the scales or in a dress size.
As a result of this cultural awakening, the grip of fear based marketing began to slip.
The other influencing factor was the access to self-education. Wellness practitioners and trainers educated their clients on the process of wellbeing not just treat the outcome. Free internet resources, online courses and books became readily available to enable any eager student to be knowledgeable on self-care.
Women became equipped with two game changers, connectivity and self-education. They could finally question the perfections of beauty and body image via a post and watch the protest go viral within hours.
People now have the ability to express their view publicly about any campaign or weight loss program and offer an alternative suggestion based on new education, empowered self-reflection and diversity.
Now in 2016, the fitness, beauty and weight loss industries have met their match. The empowered free thinkers have gathered and so has their investment power.
It has now reached a point where the protest is no longer background noise. These divine rebels now have the collective power to shut down a brand or product overnight.
We are seeing more often than not, big companies with a multi-million dollar advertising department, being forced to remove adverts and post apologies as damage control, when a campaign was met with out-numbered resistance.
While some critics cry out against the “over-sensitive movement” of body positivity and diversity, the desire to obtain self-love and acceptance has outgrown the protests.
One of the greatest mistakes a brand, provider, advertiser or profiled figure could make is to overlook the REBELLION as just a simple glitch in political correctness.
As history prevails, before every revolution, there is a fight. Did you realise you may have enlisted as a ground soldier? Every time you question the status quo, share a post on body love or self-acceptance or invest in your own self education on self-care, you are funding the revolution.
Every time you promote body positive, self-acceptance and diversity in our culture in reference to body image, health and well-being you have answered the call.
Your small little post, protest or investment in the wellness of your body, mind and spirit could in fact deconstruct a $60 billion dollar industry and YOU change the landscape for our future generations.
Did you realise you were so powerful?
In 2008 the tag line of my business was “A change is coming”. In 2016, the change is here and you as the audience, the readers, the consumers, bloggers and sharers are the front line.
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Emma Chalmers
