To say Brittany Gibbons is a force of nature would be a complete understatement. She took the world by storm in 2011 by taking her clothes off on the TED stage. She has since become one of the most recognized body image advocates on the planet. She's currently on a national media tour to promote her new book, Fat Girl Walking and she can now add New York Times Best Selling Author to her long list of accomplishments. She's gorgeous, smart, hilarious and she's on a mission to help all women feel more comfortable in their own skin.
Brittany's book is required reading for every woman who's ever questioned her appearance. Make that all women. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll see yourself in Brittany's brutal and hilarious honesty. We can't recommend it strongly enough.
Her blog is chock full of gems as well. Her recent post, Fat Girl Job Clarification, written in response to body shamers attacking her after her recent appearance on Dr. Oz is so totally right on.
"Mean people on the internet with bad grammar don't get to determine how you feel about yourself today. You deserve love, happiness and respect right now. Not in 20 lbs. Now. And, first person responsible for giving that to you is you."
Brittany very generously took the time to answer a few questions for us and we are so honored to feature her as this week's Superfit Hero.
What has been the most rewarding part of being such a public advocate for body positivity?
It's amazing to be able to experience the best and worst moments with women; the heartbreaking stories and the absolute triumphs. It's just the best job in the whole world.
Why do you think it's so important that women learn to be comfortable in their own skin?
I am a big believer that you take care of what you love. Before I learned to love my body, I was horrible to it. I just didn't care enough to worry what extremes I was putting it through to try and get to a weight I thought would make me happy. Once I stopped all of the crazy diets and dangerous pills, and just spent some time respecting what I had, everything changed. My body is amazing. It's strong and capable. Within it I have love, children, friends and a hugely successful career, and I take amazing care to keep it healthy.
Even the most confident among us have moments where we doubt ourselves and what we see in the mirror. How do you snap yourself out of it?
What is important to remember about this is that moments of self doubt, hate or struggle are normal. We aren't robots. Nobody has body love 100% of the time. Trust me, there are days when I look at a pair of jeans and think, nope! But, the goal is to be able to bounce back from those days, so that in the end, you've had more days of love than hate.
What are your favorite fitness routines? Is there an activity that you're really into lately?
I am really active and work hard to maintain my current weight and shape. I am a trail runner twice a week, and do TRX two days a week, as well. I tolerate running, but my friend loves it and I wanted a partner, so her enthusiasm keeps me motivated. TRX, however, is my jam. I have gained such strength from balancing against my own body weight, it's super fun, and always different.
Finally, what is your superpower?
If I could pick one, my superpower would be to be able to always speak using movie quotes. I'd be such a hit at parties!