Meagan Duhamel on diets in figure skating world

[clairecloutier]

I think this piece from Meagan Duhamel is worth sharing:

Diets in the Figure Skating World
https://www.lutzofgreens.com/2018/09/04/diets-in-figure-skating

Meagan talks about the importance of proper nutrition and hydration for athletes. And fighting back against those whispering voices telling skaters they aren't good enough or thin enough.

I was told that I was too big many times in my skating career. I remember the stress I felt getting my skating dresses made every year. Not because I didn’t want someone measuring my body. I was stressed knowing I had spent thousands of dollars I DIDN’T HAVE on dresses over the years only for coaches, judges and officials to tell me that it made me look too big and I needed a new one. I always tried to understand where people were coming from when they made these comments but it was difficult. All I could do was keep my focus on my training and goals. If I was a little bit bigger, but I could still do my run-throughs, my twist and land all my jumps and throws, I didn’t worry about a number on a scale or an opinion from someone else.

 

[Cayuse]

Good for Meagan for speaking out!

 

[fan]

I think this piece from Meagan Duhamel is worth sharing:

Diets in the Figure Skating World
https://www.lutzofgreens.com/2018/09/04/diets-in-figure-skating

Meagan talks about the importance of proper nutrition and hydration for athletes. And fighting back against those whispering voices telling skaters they aren't good enough or thin enough.

this is one of the most responsible things she could do as a leader in the community. good for her.

 

[Finnice]

Well done, Meagan!

 

[mag]

Good for Meagan! It makes me so sad though. I have seen Meagan in real life a number of times over the years. She is a very tiny person. Even back before she partnered with Eric she was tiny, tiny, tiny. Not an ounce of body fat. Those officials who told her she looked too big should be banned from the sport. The problem was/is not with Meagan, it was with the warped lenses they were looking through. When are we going to start training judges so that they understand that most human beings see what they want to see. We are terrible eye witnesses, we are even worse at judging speed and size.

 

[Spun Silver]

She is a great role model for other skaters and let's hope she keeps preaching and teaching this on as big a platform as possible so they will hear her. I must admit I was distressed to read a comment from Zagitova (I think) recently talking about limiting her water intake.

 

[Kasey]

While I respect Megan and am glad she is sharing her thoughts (healthy thoughts) on this subject, I think it is a tad hypocritical when she was recently putting female skaters on blast on social media for dressing in a manner that she finds inappropriate.

 

[starrynight]

Of course Meagan is a feisty person who is probably stubborn. But I suspect it is these characteristics which have enabled her to stand firm and withstand pressure to conform. If she was entirely focused on pleasing everyone all of the time she'd have just nodded compliantly when the judges told her she was too big and then started starving herself.

I think Meagan is an excellent role model on the point of it's possible to follow a strict and focused sports diet but also be healthy, well nourished and happy at the same time.

I recall reading an interview with a Russian coach who admired Meagan for being the fittest woman in figure skating.

I really think that her influence will be important in Canadian skating and it could make a big positive difference for the skaters she coaches in the future.

I also think that we are at an interesting point in perception of female skating bodies. The rise of the Russian juniors has kind of normalised the female skating body in photographs and videos as a very small child body. Anyone who is an adult looks positively huge in comparison.

 

[Mad for Skating]

I’m so happy she spoke out about this!!! It’s such a huge issue in skating and I hope her voice reaches many people and spreads awareness.

But seriously, I think Meagan’s Olympic bio said she is only like 107 pounds...if that is considered too big for a skater, things in this sport are seriously more twisted than I thought.

While I don’t agree with EVERYTHING she has ever tweeted/said, I think for the most part she has used her voice for good.

 

[Vagabond]

lutzofgreens.com!

I expect that one of Ivana Komova's upcoming interviews will appear on that site.

 

[overedge]

I too have seen Meagan in real life, and my reaction to anyone who ever told her she was "too big" is: seriously, WTF. If she was "big" in a way that was negatively affecting her skating, then and only then would it even be appropriate to say something, as long as it was something constructive. But if "too big" meant she didn't fit someone's idealized image of what girl skaters should look like, then that someone should STFU.

 

[Alilou]

While I respect Megan and am glad she is sharing her thoughts (healthy thoughts) on this subject, I think it is a tad hypocritical when she was recently putting female skaters on blast on social media for dressing in a manner that she finds inappropriate.

I guess I don't get how this is hypocritical. Basically she's saying being healthy is better than starving yourself, and don't show your naked bodies all over social media. One's about health, the other's about (I suspect in Meagan's eyes) self respect. The two are closely related in my mind.

 

[el henry]

I guess I don't get how this is hypocritical. Basically she's saying being healthy is better than starving yourself, and don't show your naked bodies all over social media. One's about health, the other's about (I suspect in Meagan's eyes) self respect. The two are closely related in my mind.

Agreed.

Meagan could say the sun rises in the East, and some folks would find fault. And that would be those folks’ problems, not Meagan.

Meagan is a tiny, fit, healthy woman without, as has been said, an ounce of fat. She is blogging about athletes, particularly figure skaters, and what is good for athletic performance. She is talking about costumes as relates to figure skating, an integral part of the sport of figure skating. And she is 1000% right.

I happen to agree with her post about folks posting on social media in various states of undress. It’s silly, it’s demeaning to the person doing it, and most of all, boring. Again, she is a 1000% right.

Meagan is not a hypocrite for holding both opinions, and neither am I.

 

[Mad for Skating]

Yeah, I mean I guess it’s everyone’s right to post whatever they want on social media, but it’s not like she was body-shaming anyone or calling out a particular skater, so I don’t see anything wrong with it. Her partner Eric makes up for it with his collection of shirtless photos on Instagram

 

[screech]

I happen to agree with her post about folks posting on social media in various states of undress. It’s silly, it’s demeaning to the person doing it, and most of all, boring. Again, she is a 1000% right.

IMO, it's only demeaning if the person doesn't want to be doing it. If someone likes how they look when dressed/undressed a certain way, and is proud of it, then they are free to share that image, and don't deserve to be told it's demeaning, disrespectful, trashy, tasteless, etc.

In any case, kudos to Meagan for trying to promote healthy eating. When I was competing, many athletes I know would have pasta for their meal a few hours before their skate, because of the carbohydrates. There's a difference between watching what you eat and limiting what you eat.

But that said, at my rink, there was a girl who was about the same size as me, maybe about 5 lbs heavier. My coach used to tell me I could do with a little more padding, her coach made her keep a diary of every single thing she ate, and when we would travel for competitions, would order for her.
We were in our mid/late teens and maybe 90 lbs.

 

[Japanfan]

While I respect Megan and am glad she is sharing her thoughts (healthy thoughts) on this subject, I think it is a tad hypocritical when she was recently putting female skaters on blast on social media for dressing in a manner that she finds inappropriate.

I don't understand where you see hypocrisy.

Megan asked a question about a photo that one skater posted on Twitter. FYI, she did not use the word 'inappropriate' and nor did she 'blast' the skater in question.

Megan strongly defends the importance of diet and health for athletes - and puts her money where her mouth (pun intended) is by following and blogging about her vegan lifestyle.

I hunted down Megan's question on Twitter, this is what it was:

Maybe you can help me understand. Why do people post topless and half naked photos of themselves on social media? Everytime I see things like this on my instagram feed I'm perplexed.

 

[Japanfan]

IMO, it's only demeaning if the person doesn't want to be doing it. If someone likes how they look when dressed/undressed a certain way, and is proud of it, then they are free to share that image, and don't deserve to be told it's demeaning, disrespectful, trashy, tasteless, etc.

Unfortunately people can demean themselves without intending to or knowing it, and years later look and say 'what was I thinking?'

Sometimes the guidance of others can be helpful.

 

[maatTheViking]

Meagan can say something thoughtful and important about diets, in a very well spoken way, and she can say something I find needlessly judgy and old fashioned around what people post on social media. Those two are not mutually exclusive, and I don't think they have much to do with each other.

Diet and nutrition is clearly something Meagan is interested in, and something she has talked about in the past, so I think it is great she speaks out here. She is knowledgeable and I think it is important she speaks out, showing how this affects everyone in the sport.

 

[mag]

Unfortunately people can demean themselves without intending to or knowing it, and years later look and say 'what was I thinking?'

Sometimes the guidance of others can be helpful.

I think it is one thing for well known person to talk about mistakes they made as they were becoming well known and quite another to tell people who are not your children what to do. I will paraphrase Miss Manners - The only people you are allowed to correct are your children, and then, only when they are children.

I had to wait until I was 15 before I was allowed to get my ears pierced because my mom thought I might “regret it.” Times change. My advice to my kids “assume you will one day run for Prime Minister. Don’t put anything online you don’t want the world to see.” What I might be comfortable with is completely different than what they might be comfortable with, but they are their own people and need to make their own choices.

 

[screech]

I hunted down Megan's question on Twitter, this is what it was:

Maybe you can help me understand. Why do people post topless and half naked photos of themselves on social media? Everytime I see things like this on my instagram feed I'm perplexed.

Ok, the quote isn't as bad as I thought it was from when it was first mentioned in this thread. It basically just seems like it's not something she'd ever want to do, not that she's straight up shaming people for doing it themselves.
But that said, a lot of skating costumes are half naked.

Princess Sofia of Sweden was a glamour model before marrying (the incredibly hot) Prince Carl Philip - there are still photos of her online where her breasts are only covered by a snake. Obviously it's not what she'd do now, but it doesn't seem like there's shame in it from her - it was a career and brought her some fame. Since her modelling photos are still easily accessible, it's also probably not much of an issue for the royal family, who approved the relationship.

That's just one example of topless, half-naked posing. Just because it's not something a particular person would want to do, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. Heck, you might even become a princess, married to a guy who looks like a Disney prince come to life.

 

[dramagrrl]

Ok, the quote isn't as bad as I thought it was from when it was first mentioned in this thread. It basically just seems like it's not something she'd ever want to do, not that she's straight up shaming people for doing it themselves.

Unfortunately, many people disagreed when she replied saying she wasn't body shaming, because the tweet that was posted above was also accompanied by hashtags (#whoneedsattentionthatbadly #noonewantstoseethat #notmeantfortheworldtosee) that some people thought were very judgemental.

I personally agree with Meagan - I don't personally want to see either males or females in various states of undress (and Meagan specifically posted a reply later that said she meant "underwear", not swimsuits or sports clothing) on social media, but that's my own preference. If people are proud of their bodies and want to show off, to each their own. I don't think it's shameful or anything like that; I just think that when you are posting things on the internet that the world can see, you should stick to the "Would I want my future employer (/parents/children/clients, etc.) to see this?" idea.

 

[starrynight]

At the end of the day you don't need to agree with everything someone says in order for some of the things they say to be valid.

Meagan maybe having conservative views about social media snaps does not suddenly invalidate her very legitimate thoughts on sports nutrition and healthy eating.

 

[hanca]

I personally agree with Meagan - I don't personally want to see either males or females in various states of undress (and Meagan specifically posted a reply later that said she meant "underwear", not swimsuits or sports clothing) on social media, but that's my own preference. If people are proud of their bodies and want to show off, to each their own. I don't think it's shameful or anything like that; I just think that when you are posting things on the internet that the world can see, you should stick to the "Would I want my future employer (/parents/children/clients, etc.) to see this?" idea.

maybe you would be more likely to get the job if your future employer saw this!

 

[misskarne]

Yeah, I mean I guess it’s everyone’s right to post whatever they want on social media, but it’s not like she was body-shaming anyone or calling out a particular skater,

The remark appeared rather soon after Liza posted some very gorgeous shots of herself on Instagram, so I think they absolutely were aimed at a particular skater.

By the way, Liza wasn't showing anything more than she would have been wearing a bikini. The shots were tasteful and lovely, Liza's body itself is a thing of beauty, and she looked relaxed and happy and comfortable, so I'm not at all sure what the problem is here.

 

[starrynight]

Liza is quite an outspoken and self-confident lady herself. I wonder if her and Meagan might actually have a fair bit in common.

 

[mag]

I wondering why there is a difference between a photo of a topless man and a photo of a topless woman? We are in 2018, right?

 

[Deleted member 53443]

I wondering why there is a difference between a photo of a topless man and a photo of a topless woman? We are in 2018, right?

Yes it is, but I still say under my breath seeing a topless man "geez dude, put a shirt on". In real life, that is. On pics I don't really care.

 

[zebraswan]

So does she have a problem with the pics that Guillaume has posted? Or Morgan, or Matteo Guarise? I could name a dozen male skaters who show off their bodies on the regular. I wonder why she felt the need to comment on a female skater posting what she wanted to post on her own account. Anyway, what Liza was wearing was no different from a bikini. It's not even comparable to a topless man, because she wasn't topless. Meanwhile, Ashley & Adam have gone 100% nude for SI...did she have an opinion then? Who cares??? If you don't like the content...unfollow. I don't follow Meagan, for example, so I don't have to hear all her holier-than-thou opinions.

 

[screech]

I wondering why there is a difference between a photo of a topless man and a photo of a topless woman? We are in 2018, right?

And she is from Ontario, where it is legal for women to be topless in public...

 

[Habs]

I wonder why she felt the need to comment on a female skater posting what she wanted to post on her own account.

She didn't. She didn't name names or indicate female vs. male. People are assuming she was talking about Liza, but Meagan never named her. I like to think she was talking about Eric's shirtless series.