Modern fitness culture starts with the underlying assumption that there is something wrong with who you are and that the remedy is to pursue an idealized body. In this pursuit, the fitness industry often relies on U.S. military-inspired disassociation to create a culture of extreme discipline, self-criticism, and relentless physical transformation. This approach pushes people to disconnect from their present selves, driving them toward an idealized version of their bodies at the cost of physical and mental well-being.
Military disassociation techniques were originally designed to allow soldiers to relentlessly follow orders and pursue a result regardless of the situation, context, or harm by mentally detaching from psychological and physical restraints, moral discomfort, fear, remorse, or executive function. The results of this when soldiers return home have been devastating.
Similarly, the fitness industry has repurposed these methods to fuel harmful self-perceptions, prioritizing aesthetic goals (often based on eugenics) at the cost of holistic well-being. This approach perpetuates a mentality of body detachment and unwavering discipline, urging individuals to push past physical limits in pursuit of an idealized self. Individuals who disconnect from their current physical and emotional state create a rift between their present bodies and an aspirational, often unrealistic, version of themselves. Fitness culture's obsession with an "ideal" body not only undermines self-compassion but also fosters a cycle of perpetual dissatisfaction, as people continuously chase a moving target of what their bodies "should" look like.
How Toxic Body Culture Perpetuates Self-Harm Behaviors
Disassociation is employed to foster a mindset that glorifies extreme endurance and even pain as a path to self-worth. When you're disassociated, your executive function can't think better of it. Fitness culture often encourages people to override their body's signals and psychological red flags, treating these intuitions and safety mechanisms as imperfections to overcome. The cost is a culture where people are motivated by a desire to "fix" their perceived flaws, often pushing them to harmful extremes, from overexertion and restrictive diets to unhealthy body comparisons. Fitness/wellness itself can be a self-harm practice, where it's another opportunity to disassociate from the pain of being you. How has something being wrong with you become an obvious truth rather than a misconception we've been conditioned into believing?
Instead of promoting acceptance, fitness marketing suggests that true self-worth can only be achieved through a relentless pursuit of bodily perfection, drawing individuals into a harmful feedback loop of body-shaming and negative self-worth. This is not by accident. By driving a wedge between individuals and their present physical selves, fitness marketing nurtures a dependence on programs, products, and influencers promising to bridge the gap between who they are and who they want to become. Under this cultish paradigm, pain and suffering, often emotional, are paths to value, and physical appearance and discipline become means to prove an individual's worth. However, the individual is constantly falling short, in more need of the fitness medicine that harms them. The journey to the "perfect" body is endless and all-consuming.
Building a Healthier Culture of Body Positivity and Self-Acceptance
The current fitness industry model profits from disassociation and perfectionism. However, the toll on our mental and physical health is not theoretical but our lived experiences. Physical activity and movement should be reframed as a form of self-care. Physical activities should allow participants to explore their movement potentials, reconnect with their bodies, and redefine their self-worth in ways that extend beyond physical appearance. Physical movement can be a loop of finding and expressing joy.
However, fitness participants must recognize and reject harmful fitness beliefs and practices before movement can be joyous. You are not a problem to fix but a potential to explore. Fitness culture and the fitness industry will not get any better, so the consumer must become informed about the psychological tactics in play. Fostering a healthy relationship with your body means choosing activities that prioritize psychological safety and well-being over perfectionism and disassociation. Choose wisely.
– Sam
