http://www.snopes.com/business/alli
"All this is by way of saying that while it's correct to identify Gary Heavin as a patron of pro-life endeavors, it would not be right to point to Curves as a supporter of those same causes. "
Curves is the most woman-positive gym atmosphere I've ever encountered. We live in a culture where women's bodies are commodities, battlegrounds, objects of immense criticism and ridicule. This is a place where you can, ironically, escape that and just feel like you're taking care of yourself. I did not get a hard sell. I am not pressured to buy extra shirts, drinks, or books. (Although they do produce that stuff.) The women there are smiling, taking the machines (which are not difficult to learn how to use) at their own pace. There is no sense of shame, there is no sense of some kind of oppressive misery of being a woman who doesn't fit the ideal. There are women of all walks of life, shapes, and sizes. It's also a great deal cheaper and more convenient than most gyms. (Although, not, by any means, the cheapest way to get exercise.) In fact, there is everything right with Curves for me and for many women who are busy yet need some motivation to get excercise in an organized atmosphere.
At my Curves, we've openly talked about the controversy and about attending the March for Choice. I don't think anyone is made to feel unwelcome. Every franchise is different, and owned/managed by a different set of people. It pains me to see people making a decision about something that is clearly helping so many women feel better about themselves and achieve something they desire due only to where Gary Heavin put his money.
Edit: Well, will you look at that. http://www.curversforchoice.org/.
Page Summary
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
prakriti : (no subject) [+11] - bearly525 : (no subject) [+15]
- midwinter : (no subject) [+1]
- lilmymble : curves [+3]
- keryx : (no subject) [+10]
- judithiscariot : (no subject) [+0]
- meercat : (no subject) [+0]
- cirith_ungol : A positive thing about Curves from a non-member [+0]
- kazoogrrl : (no subject) [+0]
- thewronghands : (no subject) [+0]
- snidegrrl : PLEASE READ [+0]
Comments
Sure, you could boycott curves because you don't agree with their political agenda. But thats just stupid. Are these people boycotting Exxon? How about The Gap? How about practically every non-fair trade item bought in the mall? Morality is not like a pick n mix box of candy.
If you choose to boycott a company because the founder donates money you gave him to a pro-life organization, you're not making a difference. The pro-life organizations will still exist. If you choose to boycott The Gap because they use child labour to make their clothes, that one less t shirt some poor kid has to make. That does make a difference.
g0tte clue?
I understand why many people do it; convictions, a feeling of having some efficacy amidst a great deal of powerlessness.
The economics behind the decision are very difficult to track and understand. I applaud anyone who can discern what the moral decision is in most cases. (Probably overall less consumtion period?)
Like I have heard many people saying they are going to boycott tech companies because they've outsourced their help desk to India. Uh, so what does that say? That people in India don't deserve a crack at these jobs? What the heck??
From a personal point of view, Joe and I have picked food as our cause. We generaly only eat organic food. Most of the vegetables are grown locally and the meat is from an organic butcher. For things like canned tomatoes, etc, I try to buy them from local corner shops or smaller non-chain stores.
I still shop at The Gap. I <3 The Gap's pants and t shirts. Everyone is intrincsically hypocritical. You have to decide within yourself where that comfort zone lies.
As for the India tech job thing, I've got a cousin that works for AOL's call center in India. Its a great paying job and she earns much more than she would in a normal job. All that aside, I think the outsourcing to India is hilarious. Its the very definition of capitalism. Cut costs and more profit. I think that if people want to protest this, they shouldn't boycott the tech companies, they should boycott the capitalistic lifestyle that leads to this. Its capitalism, pure and simple, the caused these companies to look at ways of cutting costs.
How US-centered and patronizing is it for us to presume we know what's best for another country? If the standards of that country say that working conditions need to be of X quality, how do we know that's not good enough?
There are so many complex economic factors that we contribute to beyond where we buy a t-shirt. If you have a 401(k) or have money invested in any way, chances are your income depends upon the stock of a company like the Gap in some way. Because we demand quarterly improvements in earnings from our stocks, companies constantly have to look to cut costs, so they end up outsourcing more and more. The whole climate of investing would have to change in order to change that.
It's putting people HERE who had the job out of the job. At some point we need to take care of our own first.
Perhaps that location was an anomaly, but it "curved" me away from Curves...
Here's one - Does your Curves have showers?! The ones around here don't - so they can "cut costs" and make memberships lower... Yeah, and nobody can go before work! *grin*
My former boss (who does NOT have a weight problem, though he insists he did a few years back) kept himself to 1200 calories a day. Twelve hundred! I kept telling him that wasn't enough to live. He bitched about being hungry constantly and had no energy to exercise. GEE, I wonder why?
Even in high school when I was seeing a dietician, they had me on 1600 a day, and that was rough being as I was still growing at the time. And that was under the careful supervision of a licensed nutritionist, not some dope at a gym. At the gym, all I want to do is be told how to use the equipment properly so I get the max out of a workout and don't hurt myself. Other than that, let me zone!
Though I must admit I am glad that one of my gym instructors (NOT a personal trainer) is available to offer nutritional/dietary advice, since my doctor has the attention span of a flea and I wouldn't trust her to monitor anything! :D
I refuse to calorie count, but I can't imagine living on so few calories and expecting to function - your boss must be NUTS! *grin*
I did, however, decide not to join Curves because of its association with weightloss, because the centers in my area are all essentially Weight Watchers with exercise, and because I would rather train in a way that's designed for me (I'm pretty sure the regimented workout would feel too boring and unchallenging compared to other things I do). It still bothers me that you and others feel comfortable in an environment that has ANYTHING to do with weightloss, but we each have to make our own decisions. I'm willing to grant you that the solidarity you have with other members makes up for the slight weightlossy vibe of the local franchise for you personally. It would not for me, but I've heard of some Curves clubs (San Francisco, for instance) that completely ditch all that. And more power to them.
I can understand this. But really, I have not yet seen a gym atmosphere that is otherwise. Since I can't set up shop in my apartment (and since setting up shop in my house was psychologically not the best practice for getting me to get some activity) I had to find something outside, and something that would involve a community thing and partnership to encourage me to go. Otherwise, I would still be getting no activity whatsoever.
I was saying to someone else, I'd kill for a gym that had this atmosphere and free weights and classes, but this is what I've got, and 30 minutes 3 times a week is 100% more than I was getting prior to Feb. :) Which is good! And I get the feeling that is true for many of the women there. I could be wrong!
I should probably spend more time on the Curves boards and encourage more positive messages - what are they gonna do, kick me off the forums? :)
Curves has been a very positive experience for me so far, it's been over a month now and I've only missed one workout (on fishing trip day, when there's no way I could have gotten through it anyway, so exhausted I was). I would love a world where I could personally ensure that no one who ever got a dollar of my money would do anything with it that I'd remotely disagree with, but that cannot realistically happen.
-Cirith
I still shop at "bad" places, I'm not a perfect consumer. I'm sure other businesses I patronize may donate money to causes I am against.
I reallly like the curvers for choice site - that's what I like to see!
Curves is the most woman-positive gym atmosphere I've ever encountered.
That in a nutshell is why it would be such an ideological conflict for me. I know a whole lot of Curvers who say the same thing, love the gym, and are so much more fit because of it. They haven't exercised for years, and Curves has given them a place where they feel safe in doing so. So, something really good weighed against something really bad. I'm not judging anyone for her choice on one side or the other; like many previous posters have said, you have to pick your battles, and not everyone is going to pick the same ones.
Being a conscientious consumer is indeed a whole hell of a lot of work. I am fortunate that I have an exercise option that works for me, but I still feel bad about the larger economic ramifications of it. I shop organic/natural/local/non-exploiting when I can, but I still shop at Target occasionally.