Instagram's Yoga Girl by Madison Buckles

Scrolling through Instagram you'll find countless accounts: food, fashion, beauty, sports, and many more. Yet none of these accounts are quite as unique as Rachel Brathen’s account @yoga_girl. At first glance you'd think that Yoga Girl lives in a perfect world. She does yoga on the beautiful beaches of Aruba, has a loving husband, an adorable dog named Ringo (@ringo_thegringo), and an equally cute goat named Penny (@penny_thegoat). On top of all of that she travels around the world doing what she loves! However, this unique account gives more than a dose of daily serenity; it allows followers to accept and embrace the realities and curveballs that the world throws at us.

I've been following Rachel for years and it feels that with every post we all get to know her a little more. Opening up her heart to all followers, Rachel writes about the good and the bad in life. From sharing her engagement and wedding experiences with us, to talking about the death of her best friend, yoga girl allows her followers to go along with her in the ups and downs of life. These deeply personal posts have definitely helped me and many others accept that sometimes some situations aren't okay, and that is okay!

Rachel uses her fan base of 1.9 million followers to spread the word for good causes. One campaign that she advertises is @109world, which she actually co-founded. The organization conducts mission trips to countries like Latvia, Colombia, Nicaragua, and more. The organization has 7 passions that they support: education, animals, water, environment, children, food security, and women. While many Instagram-famous people take their followers for granted, Rachel makes the most out of it by supporting helpful organizations.

Yoga Girl’s posts also highlight the great moments in life! Her feed is filled with intricate yoga poses and videos that are all about breathing in and letting the emotion and stress out. We live in a busy world where people never seem to stop and take a break. Rachel’s soothing videos and inspirational captions make you pause and take a breath. Through her account I've realized that sometimes we all need to unplug and reflect on the little things in life.

On first impression, Rachel’s account @yoga_girl might seem to be exclusively for aspiring yogis. However, everyone can learn something from her account. Her feed is filled with raw emotion and positive messages that anybody can be touched by. Whether you're visiting the account to look for a new yoga pose or simply just need to de-stress, Rachel’s account is the perfect place to gain a bit of peace and wisdom. Namaste!

Click here for more on Rachel Brathen and her journey!

Body Positivity by Brooke Matthews

When you think about your favorite actors, actresses, singers, models, etc., how many plus-sized men and women come to mind? Chances are you can only think of a couple, or if you are like most people, probably none. The way plus-sized people, women especially, are portrayed in media is not the same as thinner-figured individuals are portrayed. Because of the way bigger women are shown in the media, women have begun to believe the term “plus-sized” or “fat” is bad. Thanks to the body positivity movement, however, we are showing women of all shapes and sizes that it is okay to love your body regardless of your size.

The film industry rarely casts full-figured women in lead roles, and if they do, she serves as comedic relief; take, for example, Fat Amy. Other times she is hidden amongst the crowd. We also see them portrayed as the “ugly duckling” who usually overcomes obstacles caused because of her weight, and gets the man in the end, like in the movies Hairspray and Just Wright. Rarely is there a movie where a plus-sized woman’s weight isn’t the source of her lack of confidence, depression, or undesirability. Why can’t we cast more big women in leading roles? Are we shaping a negative belief in our society?

It is no doubt that the media sculpts the way we think about everyday life. Not only do movies outline the way adult women think, but it changes the way young girls see themselves. If a young girl is watching her favorite movies or TV shows and all of her favorite characters are tall and thin, the girl will begin to wonder why her body does not look that way. The fix is as simple as casting plus-sized girls to stop insecurity at a young age.

As an attempt to help this cause, women all over the world have started the body positivity movement. This movement acts to encourage girls to love their bodies no matter what color, how big,  how rough or scarred, or how different. The body positivity movement has brought women of all backgrounds and cultures together to grow and work as a team rather than against each other. Famous women have spoken on the topic, such as Demi Lovato, Mary Lambert, Rihanna, and Rebel Wilson, all saying that this movement has helped them cope with being a larger woman in media and is helping their sisters get the recognition they deserve.

Although body positivity isn’t supported by all, it has helped thousands of young women accept their bodies. As the movement continues to grow, the way plus-sized men and women are viewed will hopefully change. No longer will “fat” or “plus-sized” be an insult, and no longer will only “skinny” people take the leads in the media. The future of film should heavily rely on the reflection of reality. Plus-sized women embody the hues of womanhood and should be appreciated.

Visit here for more articles on body positivity!

The L.A. Beast by Ethan Caldwell

Many would say that their childhood hero was a firefighter. Others would say a policeman or maybe even a singer. My hero is 6’2 and 260 pounds of pure glory, wisdom, and power. “What exactly does your hero do?” you may ask. Well, my hero feasts on challenges that no other man, animal, or alien could even fathom. My hero is the one and only, L.A. Beast.

Over the course of 5 years the youtuber “Skippy62able” (a.k.a. the L.A. Beast), has produced videos of epic and intense eating challenges for our viewing pleasure. His first video is on his iPhone 4 of him eating a massive burger in a restaurant as a challenge. After much ease, he completed the burger. Over the course of four more years he's made crazy videos such as him eating a cactus, drinking honey while bees attack his face, eating a bull testicle (which he then proceeded to ride a bull), and also eating the world’s hottest pepper.

Why? Why is he an inspiration? Easy. If one simple man from the state of New Jersey can consume two cacti, then I sure as heck can make it through a day at school. No matter how much homework, no matter how bad a workout is, and no matter how hard your home life is, you will never have to put yourself in the shoes of a man who eats testicles.

Unfortunately, for the past several months, the Beastie has not been posting such animated content on his channel, and he did make a video for his explanation. His video says in short, that after all of these years he is taking a break. He can no longer take all this type of food in his digestive system. He says it could kill him. He will do these challenges again, but not for a while. Does this mean that the beast is done? Heck no. As an alternative the Beast is attempting to be the fastest man to walk America. He has been posting vlogs of him walking 60 miles a day. The L.A. Beast can do anything. Even if it’s not killing himself with cacti, he is still attempting the incredible.

A video by the one and only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGwibPdEOVk

Are We Born To Run?

by Emily Readett

In a featured Ted Talk, Christopher McDougall passionately considers the human desires to run. He shares three separate stories of runners today: an underdog marathoner, a super athlete, and a hidden tribe in Mexico. As a runner myself, Christopher McDougall’s ideas on the innovation of running are particularly interesting. I am constantly surrounded by injury, or injured myself. These new ideas introduced during this Ted Talk may offer hope to many like me or my teammates.

In McDougall's first heartwarming story he talks of an Ethiopian underdog, Derartu Tulu, who shows compassion and competitive drive. Tulu hadn't won a marathon in 8 years, yet she sacrificed her chance to victory during a race to help a competitor, Paula Radcliffe, make it to the finish line. Radcliffe was unable to keep up and dropped off, but Tulu explodes forward to claim the win. Derartu Tulu shows a rare mix of competitiveness and empathy that wins her the marathon and the big check to take home to her newborn baby.

Christopher McDougall then shares the story of the Tarahumara Indians. While most tribes like the Mayans and Aztecs are now few to none, the Tarahumara Indians are thriving in a hidden canyon, called Copper Canyon, in Mexico. McDougall shares something remarkable about the tribe; they don't run marathons but mega marathons, more than 100 miles! All of this without injury or any problems.

Christopher McDougall introduces the idea of barefoot running, which is what the tribe in Mexico utilizes. He says that people in modern times have been eager to cash and package something like shoes, always in the intention of improving. McDougall sympathizes with running shoes, sharing his frustrating past of constant injury.

Humans naturally have been running for thousands of years, so why is injury such a challenge? McDougall offers the fact that we haven't always been wearing shoes and that the shoes are the enemy in this sense. He shares that he now, in his mid-forties, has stopped wearing shoes and is injury-free. McDougall has a way to return to the way running is meant to be. He prescribes we back away from the running shoes, the packaging, the marketing, and all the urban marathons. He says we should get back to the playfulness and “nakedness” that has made the Tarahumara one of the healthiest groups of people of their time.

From my personal experience with injury, I find this Ted Talk very interesting and unique. I have always been told how important the right pair of running shoes are, so for McDougall to say that running shoes are half the battle of injury surprised me. I will, however, continue on running in my beloved trainers.

 
To view the Ted Talk click here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_mcdougall_are_we_born_to_run

Contouring by Cassie Gault

On almost every social media outlet you can find hundreds of accounts created for makeup tutorials. A certain trend throughout these accounts is mainly blowing up our feeds: contouring. If you ask around, there are lots of mixed opinions on contouring. They aren’t necessarily good or bad opinions, but more optimistic. After surveying a handful of people in my classroom I found that few guys even care, and most girls contour themselves, but also wouldn’t judge a girl if she did. I think this trend is so popular because the videos are fun and interesting to watch, and if a girl does want to contour it really does make a big difference.

Here is a common example of something you might see on your feed. Contouring the face seems to be the most popular form of contouring, but other types are possible. For example, some girls contour their legs, chest, and collar bones. Contouring is all about the enhancement and transformation of parts of your body. You can use it to make your chest look bigger, your collarbones look sharper, or your cheekbones higher. The main goal when contouring your legs is to make them look more toned. Some might say people are taking it a bit too far, and others might see a simple solution to avoiding the gym! Regardless of what you think it’s hard to not be entertained by the detailed contouring tutorials you see so often now!

Celebrities have helped the trend spread by showing themselves using the technique and giving tips and tricks to attentive makeup fanatics! To the right is the esteemed Kim Kardashian. Kim gives her fans tips and tricks to contouring by sharing her makeup routines along with her favorite makeup products. Contouring is something everyone can try even if they don’t necessarily plan on showing anyone. All in all I approve!

To view a blog about Kim's contouring click here