The next two words out of my mouth were “girl push-ups”…

I took a Pilates class this evening and at the very end the instructor said something that really rubbed me the wrong way.

She ended the class by having us do “girl push-ups”. 😬

I know she didn’t mean it in a bad way… And after class was over I almost left without saying anything, and even though it felt super awkward I JUST HAD to say something.

I waited till it was just the two of us and went up to her. I told her she did a great job, and I really enjoyed taking her class. I asked if she would be open to some feedback.

She said “absolutely”.

The next two words out of my mouth were “girl push-ups”…

I said even though it might not seem like a big deal to say “girl push-ups” it doesn’t make women feel empowered. It makes us feel weak. I said this is something I’ve been working on myself, creating awareness around saying phrases like “girl push-ups” “throw like a girl” etc is langauge we need to be aware of and work on removing from our vocabulary.

It’s easy to continue with this type of language because that’s what has been engrained in our society as normal and acceptable but we have to learn to change that.

Luckily she completely agreed and even said that was the way they taught her when she got certified, and it felt wrong.

She said she’s teaching a class tomorrow and is no longer going to say “girl push-ups” when she teaches.

That was really hard for me to do…but I’m SO GLAD I did.

This is important.

I challenge you to speak up the next time you hear this type of language. It might feel awkward but words are so powerful.

I want my sister and other girls to grow up with the message that they’re just as strong, smart, and talented as everyone else.

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