Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir #48: Long Time Running

[sap5]

Right, but at the end of the day it's her personal social media, just as everyone else either has or is taking the time to follow and look at in the first place. I thought the Wonder Woman photos were cute-- regardless of what she was advertising. It's a simple unfollow or mute to make the stuff disappear for her or anyone else if it's bothersome or cringeworthy that she's inserting paid opportunities into her page.

Right, and at the end of the day, people are free to discuss and have opinions on what she puts out for public consumption.

 

[tony]

Right, and at the end of the day, people are free to discuss and have opinions on what she puts out for public consumption.

Absolutely you are free to discuss, but luckily this situation has a very simply fix in the form of one Unfollow button. As @Lemonade20 said, people were saying they can't follow her anymore. Easy!

I'm used to people using Instagram as a marketing or opportunity tool more than anything 'here's what goes on during my boring time'. However, there are some former skaters who post about 50 stories a day highlighting their every move, which I guess some people might find more intriguing.

 

[Alilou]

Right, but at the end of the day it's her personal social media, just as everyone else either has or is taking the time to follow and look at in the first place. I thought the Wonder Woman photos were cute-- regardless of what she was advertising. It's a simple unfollow or mute to make the stuff disappear for her or anyone else if it's bothersome or cringeworthy that she's inserting paid opportunities into her page.

What's your point? That we shouldn't have any opinions about it? That we shouldn't share said opinions? That we shouldn't look at her IG? That we shouldn't discuss it at all? This is FSU FFS - it's what we do. You know that better than anyone Tony

ETA: So at the end of the day we're all having a nice discussion sharing our opinions of Tessa's IG content and you basically jump in and tell us we should all just unfollow.

 

[tony]

What's your point? That we shouldn't have any opinions about it? That we shouldn't share said opinions? That we shouldn't look at her IG? That we shouldn't discuss it at all? This is FSU FFS - it's what we do. You know that better than anyone Tony

If someone was annoying me to the point that I was commenting on (almost) every post they made and/or getting annoyed, I would unfollow them. YMMV. I don't see any difference in people using the ignore feature on FSU, and some do it after one small disagreement

I'm glad she's able to get endorsements, big or small, when most skaters leave the sport and have absolutely zero in terms of stepping-stones to something else (which has also been a big talking-point on FSU throughout the years).

ETA: So at the end of the day we're all having a nice discussion sharing our opinions of Tessa's IG content and you basically jump in and tell us we should all just unfollow.

I don't need you to put words in my mouth. I directly quoted someone who said the following:

which is why some were saying they can't follow her anymore.

So yes, that's why I said it.

 

[sap5]

Absolutely you are free to discuss, but luckily this situation has a very simply fix in the form of one Unfollow button. As @Lemonade20 said, people were saying they can't follow her anymore. Easy!

I'm used to people using Instagram as a marketing or opportunity tool more than anything 'here's what goes on during my boring time'. However, there are some former skaters who post about 50 stories a day highlighting their every move, which I guess some people might find more intriguing.

You aren't the only one who is used to people using Instagram as a marketing or opportunity tool. A lot of our discussion is about how Tessa could be doing a better job with that.

 

[Alilou]

If someone was annoying me to the point that I was commenting on (almost) every post they made and/or getting annoyed, I would unfollow them. YMMV. I don't see any difference in people using the ignore feature on FSU, and some do it after one small disagreement

I'm glad she's able to get endorsements, big or small, when most skaters leave the sport and have absolutely zero in terms of stepping-stones to something else (which has also been a big talking-point on FSU throughout the years).

Oh for god's sake, I unfollowed her eons ago. I find the point irrelevant since a big part of the discussion is why we unfollowed. I'm also glad she get's endorsements, but find them jarring compared to her "mission statement" of empowering women and girls, and also for various other sociological reasons. Am I not to discuss this? Stop being such an effing smartass and leave us alone. We're playing nicely.

 

[quartz]

I find in general, mission statements are problematic, as they tend to be carved in stone and then you are stuck as situations, circumstances, and ideologies change. If I were a brand, I’d have to change my statement every week or so to reflect the inevitable ebb and flow and the constantly moving goalposts. As Alice says, “why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

 

[mjb52]

I can see why it feels a little weird having the discussion in Tessa's actual thread - I thought about suggesting we start a new thread to talk about it but it isn't quite big enough to stand on its own as a separate topic. It's really more a criticism of the way the brands are making use of her than Tessa herself.

 

[sap5]

I can see why it feels a little weird having the discussion in Tessa's actual thread - I thought about suggesting we start a new thread to talk about it but it isn't quite big enough to stand on its own as a separate topic. It's really more a criticism of the way the brands are making use of her than Tessa herself.

Where better to talk about negative opinions than amongst fans? This is just like what we used to do when VM were competing and we’d talk about what we liked/disliked about programs, costumes, elements, etc. The point is no one in here hates VM— why would you be in here if you did (unless you’re a moderator and have to be in here)?

 

[Lemonade20]

I enjoy following certain skaters on IG, and I unfollowed Tessa but it doesn't mean I don't like her or have an issue with what she's doing. I'm just over the constant ads & product placements.

 

[aka_gerbil]

I would like to know how Barbie in particular empower girls. They may in fact do so, but I don't know anything about the current line of Barbie or how the doll has evolved in the past 40 years or so. Probably there are some colored barbies now, but that is all I can think of. Maybe a variety of costumes, also.

My sister and I spend hours upon hours playing with barbies when we were little. I hate the thinking that Barbie cannot/does not empower girls. It depends on how the child is encouraged to play with them. We had a whole elaborate society with our dolls where the women had professions and where the leaders. Even when we were little, the dolls being sold were astronauts, business women, doctors, veterinarians, etc. It’s expanded beyond even that now.

A book about women looking for a husbands in a time when women had few options. Sort of an odd choice if the point is to empower girls/women.

Jane Austen never married herself and was writing social satire about that sort of situation.

 

[overedge]

But even when Barbie is an astronaut, CEO, doctor, whatever, the doll still has the same completely unrealistic body proportions and shape. That's not empowering IMO. It's almost worse, like that you have to be an overachiever and you have to be physically "perfect" as well.

 

[aka_gerbil]

But even when Barbie is an astronaut, CEO, doctor, whatever, the doll still has the same completely unrealistic body proportions and shape. That's not empowering IMO. It's almost worse, like that you have to be an overachiever and you have to be physically "perfect" as well.

Neither my sister nor I nor any kid we knew was paying a bit of attention to a plastic doll’s proportions. If a child is looking at a plastic doll and thinking body proportions, the problem is not the doll.

 

[overedge]

Neither my sister nor I nor any kid we knew was paying a bit of attention to a plastic doll’s proportions. If a child is looking at a plastic doll and thinking body proportions, the problem is not the doll.

IMO it's more subtle than that. Barbie is presented as being successful, fun, and attractive, and her body shape represents the (unrealistic) ideal that society says women should look like. It's not just Barbie on her own, it's the norms of female appearance that she represents.

 

[aka_gerbil]

IMO it's more subtle than that. Barbie is presented as being successful, fun, and attractive, and her body shape represents the (unrealistic) ideal that society says women should look like. It's not just Barbie on her own, it's the norms of female appearance that she represents.

I think adults overthink how kids interact with and see the dolls. Kids are not thinking about norms of female appearance. They’re thinking a doll to play with.

 

[jmtfti]

Neither my sister nor I nor any kid we knew was paying a bit of attention to a plastic doll’s proportions. If a child is looking at a plastic doll and thinking body proportions, the problem is not the doll.

Same here. My Barbies were vehicles for storytelling, and my main concern with their appearance was how well a doll resembled a character I was trying to portray with her -- which for me entirely meant hair color -- and how much I was going to struggle to change her outfits given the quality of off-the-rack Barbie clothing. The dimensions never once impacted my feelings about my future body type. Back on topic, I would've loved having a doll made to resemble a real person I admired (and loved the various historical figure Barbie dolls they started coming out with right after I aged out).

 

[overedge]

I think adults overthink how kids interact with and see the dolls. Kids are not thinking about norms of female appearance. They’re thinking a doll to play with.

But that's kind of the point. Yes, kids aren't thinking about these things, but when the images of women that they see all around them - including the shapes of dolls that are identified as female - they internalize those images as being the norm of what women should look like.

It's the same thing that happens with images of race. When kids look at Barbie, they aren't explicitly thinking about race. But if all the images of beauty that are presented to them are images of white people, then they internalize the idea that white = pretty, and people who aren't white can only be pretty if they try to look like white people.

 

[puglover]

IMO it's more subtle than that. Barbie is presented as being successful, fun, and attractive, and her body shape represents the (unrealistic) ideal that society says women should look like. It's not just Barbie on her own, it's the norms of female appearance that she represents.

I am not sure. Apparently, Barbie has had 150 professions but never been a housewife. I am not sure if she has been a mother as I believe Skipper is her sister. The "new" Barbies are more diverse with skin tones and hair and also body shape. I don't know if they even make the big boobs - tiny waist Barbie anymore. I bought the Tessa Barbie for myself and her body type is reflective of Tessa's and she is obviously wearing the famous Moulin Rouge dress. My only complaint is her head is too small IMHO (the doll I mean).

 

[overedge]

I am not sure. Apparently, Barbie has had 150 professions but never been a housewife. I am not sure if she has been a mother as I believe Skipper is her sister. The "new" Barbies are more diverse with skin tones and hair and also body shape. I don't know if they even make the big boobs - tiny waist Barbie anymore. I bought the Tessa Barbie for myself and her body type is reflective of Tessa's and she is obviously wearing the famous Moulin Rouge dress. My only complaint is her head is too small IMHO (the doll I mean).

So the Barbie reflects the body norms in skating, which are also hyper-feminized and which can be dangerous for female skaters whose bodies don't naturally fit that type.

I'm not dissing specifically on Barbie or Tessa, but IMO a Tessa Barbie doll doesn't empower women. It mostly reinforces unrealistic norms about what women should look like to be considered attractive.

 

[quartz]

I spent most of my Barbie time building them a house and furnishing it with stuff found about the house. I don’t recall ever needing my dolls to have professions, or thinking I needed to look like them - they were just toys.

 

[Japanfan]

But that's kind of the point. Yes, kids aren't thinking about these things, but when the images of women that they see all around them - including the shapes of dolls that are identified as female - they internalize those images as being the norm of what women should look like.

It's the same thing that happens with images of race. When kids look at Barbie, they aren't explicitly thinking about race. But if all the images of beauty that are presented to them are images of white people, then they internalize the idea that white = pretty, and people who aren't white can only be pretty if they try to look like white people.

This.

Barbie is a representation of women, even though she is a doll. We are deeply affected by representations of gender, which are everywhere and inform pretty much everything. And the impression they make is not always conscious.

For example, there is a reason why so many teen girls (and later in life, women) think they are overweight, when they are not. And develop disordered eating or EDs because of that. I really do hope that is changing a bit these days, what with more representations of plus-sized women, but am certainly not sure that it is.

 

[elisa_p]

But that's kind of the point. Yes, kids aren't thinking about these things, but when the images of women that they see all around them - including the shapes of dolls that are identified as female - they internalize those images as being the norm of what women should look like.

It's the same thing that happens with images of race. When kids look at Barbie, they aren't explicitly thinking about race. But if all the images of beauty that are presented to them are images of white people, then they internalize the idea that white = pretty, and people who aren't white can only be pretty if they try to look like white people.

This resonates with me so much! As a millennial POC, I have struggled so much with perfectionism and low self esteem which as caused me a ton of anxiety over the years. It took me some intense therapy to fix and I realized how much unrealistic beauty standards has affected me from a very young age without me even noticeing it. It gets very normalized because all I ever saw everywhere where thin women who got thinner as the years went on and very little representation of what actual woman looked like (especially POC's). While you see them everyday..they are not what is considered "beautiful" that's fed to you on a daily basis that you just can't live up to but you keep trying. There's definitely a reason why ED's and mental health issues are rising in young women. So when I think of empowering young girls, I think it's really important to touch on things like this and be outspoken about it and really align your message with what you're endorsing.
I personally find that Tessa doesn't like to get too personal/in depth about things like this or how it's affected her over the years or share too many of her experiences so I wish she would just drop the empowerment bit and just own up to what her feed is...which is that of a influencer. There's nothing wrong with it and I think she's doing a pretty good job in finding an audience for it even if it is a bit sterile. Some of her photoshoots are gorgeous and I happen to really like tracking her fashion pieces.

 

[Alilou]

This resonates with me so much! As a millennial POC, I have struggled so much with perfectionism and low self esteem which as caused me a ton of anxiety over the years. It took me some intense therapy to fix and I realized how much unrealistic beauty standards has affected me from a very young age without me even noticeing it. It gets very normalized because all I ever saw everywhere where thin women who got thinner as the years went on and very little representation of what actual woman looked like (especially POC's). While you see them everyday..they are not what is considered "beautiful" that's fed to you on a daily basis that you just can't live up to but you keep trying. There's definitely a reason why ED's and mental health issues are rising in young women. So when I think of empowering young girls, I think it's really important to touch on things like this and be outspoken about it and really align your message with what you're endorsing.
I personally find that Tessa doesn't like to get too personal/in depth about things like this or how it's affected her over the years or share too many of her experiences so I wish she would just drop the empowerment bit and just own up to what her feed is...which is that of a influencer. There's nothing wrong with it and I think she's doing a pretty good job in finding an audience for it even if it is a bit sterile. Some of her photoshoots are gorgeous and I happen to really like tracking her fashion pieces.

Yes this so much! I am white, but still was surrounded from as young as I can remember (yes even back in the 50's!) with the message that the only acceptable way for a woman to be was slender and tall. I've had bouts of disordered eating almost all my life. I couldn't make myself taller, but I sure could make myself thinner. I hear you @elisa_p that's it's even harder for POC's - this constant barrage of what's acceptable, what's beautiful, and what doesn't quite make it. I never played with Barbies but I sure can see how at a completely unconscious level they add fuel to this fire. It does the opposite of empowering women and girls. It is part of a relentless and unconscious message that tall and thin, and yeah white, is the best, and all else is not so good.
I agree that there's nothing wrong with Tessa being an influencer. It's claiming that she wants to empower women and girls that I have trouble with.

 

[kimkom]

Other thread is at 2500 replies so thought it was a perfect time to start a new thread!



Response really has been amazing. In this radio interview Tessa says they received a note from Ewan McGregor’s mother which is so cool chumam.streamon.fm/listen-pl-6249?smc=8
A sappy but very cute article as well https://nerdygirlnotes.com/2018/02/...e-all-obsessed-with-two-canadian-ice-dancers/

 

[sap5]

My issue with the Tessa doll was that most of my friends’ kids who got one asked why there wasn’t a Scott doll to go with it.

 

[puglover]

I thought the big issue for years with Barbie was that her body wasn't just unattainable for most young women, it was unattainable period. I have read what a person would have to look like in real life to have Barbie's comparative measurements and relative height and it is not humanly possible. As for Tessa herself, over the years she was criticized for being bigger and at times called fat. I believe she maintained her figure through mindful eating and carefully targeted exercise. I am sure she was not immune to her critics and expectations in skating in general but unless she says she resorted to unhealthy practices I do not believe it. I fear that a number of the "role models" of today, the Kardashians for example, are also unattainable period unless you have a plastic surgeon on speed dial.

 

[Bigbird]

I'm not really surprised anymore after taking a quick look at other athlete's social media. IMHO, it comes from a culture that demands women look like airbrushed Barbie dolls. It's probably no surprise then that her social media is quite protective of her private space.

 

[quartz]

My mom was slim, blonde, and very pretty, and by the time I was 7 or 8, already clueing me in that I was not, and that my life would likely be disappointing due to that fact. When your own mother is dissing you, Unrealistic Barbie isn’t a factor.

 

[Bigbird]

My mom was slim, blonde, and very pretty, and by the time I was 7 or 8, already clueing me in that I was not, and that my life would likely be disappointing due to that fact. When your own mother is dissing you, Unrealistic Barbie isn’t a factor.

Glad you rose above it all.

 

[VGThuy]

I half admire her hustle and half am disappointed that despite what she says about carefully selecting what she chooses to endorse, it seems like she’ll endorse anything. Or if she is selective, then her judgment is kind of lacking, which explains that reality show she and Scott did. And I found the dry shampoo picture funny because of the way that bottle was cut and pasted onto her left hand even though she clearly wasn’t holding it. Also, was the message that female super heroes should also be mindful of their grooming and hair?