ETHICAL #FITMOM?!

Feb 26, 2016
1 min read

I'm a real peeping tom when it comes to social media. I read and watch, but rarely post something. I follow a lot of Instagram pages that I once decided where nice to follow, and recently I realized how similar all those accounts are: every single day I see posts about #fitmom, there are millions and millions of photos and videos with this hashtag. So, it's safe to say that it became a real thing among young moms, to posts their home-fitness-activities on social media to show how they combine the busy-mom-life with staying fit.

I think this has a lot to do with online appearance, showing the no pain no gain mentality with the intrinsic need to inspire others to do the same. This can be linked to values like devotion and appreciation: devotion because of the willpower to be fit and healthy and appreciation because the followers are very laudatory which makes them feel acknowledged.

However I think it's great that moms can support and motivate each other, but in my opinion recording exercises with children does bring an ethical quarrel: these kids are on the internet forever without having any say in it. Just like all the photo's and stories that are posted on Facebook. Where is their right on privacy? At this young age they probably have no clue what this entails, but they will when they grow up. Laura Cornet, a Dutch designer created the Newborn fame to denounce this ethical situation by opening up this discussion.