Before and After Pictures and Why WE Don't Use Them.
Before and After Pictures
And why WE don’t use them as a business.
*trigger warning: the content of this article features discussions on disordered eating. Feel free to bookmark and come back another time if that is what is best for you!
As a business, we don’t post before and after pictures.
Now if we were in business for anything other than fitness (or fashion) this wouldn’t be a groundbreaking statement.
But we ARE in fitness. And everywhere you look you are surrounded by before and after pictures.
Except for our social media channels. They are remarkably devoid of these images. The absence of which we actually get asked about quite often.
So why don’t we?
The long answer is that It’s complicated. But it’s worth diving into and having a conversation around.
The short answer we made into an instagram post which you can view here!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSsgDS8s3ZG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Please go like and comment on this post if you want to contribute to the ongoing discussion!
All Emotional Responses to Before and After Photos Are Valid
Before we do dive in on this we want you to know that ALL emotional responses are valid surrounding this and every topic. We respect your views, journey, and past experiences and welcome them to the conversation. In fact, these varying views and opinions are exactly what will continue to push the fitness industry forward so that we can continue to make positive change.
We also know many great fitness businesses who use before and after pictures that make a tremendously positive impact in the lives of their clients. This is not a personal shot at any business in particular. It is a reflection of our beliefs and values and what we truly believe to be in the best interest for our clients and those we hope to help in fitness.
It is also a deeper look into the workings of the fitness industry and will hopefully cause you to raise some questions about your own personal experiences. Whether you are a coach or a client, I hope this helps raise your awareness and spur conversation so that we can make the industry a little more welcoming for everyone.
The Background Of Before and After Photos:
Before we continue further it is important to paint the full picture of before and after pictures and how they are used in the industry. We also want to make a careful distinction between before and after photos and progress photos, which we will go over in a moment below.
It’s hard to trace the origin of before and after photos in the fitness industry as the industry itself is quite unregulated by nature. Although it is still in its infancy compared to other industries, we do have to travel back a bit to the 1980's where they were quite apparent in both bodybuilding and fat loss supplement advertisements.
However, back then the reach of printed advertisements (especially in the bodybuilding niche) was limited. Now with social media platforms like instagram and the proliferation of digital marketing before and after pictures are EVERYWHERE. They are used to sell products and services in the fitness and weight loss industries. They are also used as a way to show off body changes for just about everyone you see on facebook from your cousin to that person you went to high school with.
Progress photos are just as popular, although we would like to make the distinction between these and before and after pictures. While a before and after picture represents a definitive start and end point, a progress photo is more of a check in and respects the nature of the training journey in the very name. It is a snapshot in time of the progress that is being made towards a long term goal. Progress photos are also typically used personally or shared with a coach as opposed to for marketing purposes. However, they can also be used in a variety of ways similar to before and after pictures.
So, why don’t we use them?
Overall, with the clients that we work with and who we want to serve, we find that before and after pictures do more harm than good.
Yes, we understand some people can view these before and after photos in their feeds on a daily basis without feeling triggered or having negative emotions. Although we also believe that those who aren’t negatively affected are a MUCH smaller portion of the population than the industry would have you believe.
We aren’t here for those people that can see a before and after picture without being phased. The rest of the industry is. There is absolutely no shortage of before and after photos on the internet. If you love them, by all means go wild.
But many of our clients and those we have worked with and spoken to don’t want to see them. They want a safe space to engage with the fitness community and not feel the negative emotions and experiences that come along with diet culture and before and after photos.
Maybe it’s because they are recovering from an eating disorder and find these images to be triggering. Maybe because it reminds them of past trauma or brings up insecurities in their own body.
Regardless of the reason we’re here for those people.
And before and after pictures, as well as the majority of the rest of the industry, are not. Instead of being encouraging and inspirational they can condition the brain to associate what bodies that are “fit” and “healthy” look like as opposed to those that are not. Although this doesn't sound very bad, it can be harmful when you realize the fact that many people will never look like the after photos they see on social media. Even if they follow the exact same steps the other person took to get there. You see, all bodies are different. And that’s part of the beauty of training and also the source of a lot of confusion.
Comparison Trap
Before and after photos also create a comparison trap by measuring self worth against the photos of
others. It also creates an internal sense of comparison, where one can start to feel as if the “before” body is worthless, undesirable, or something to be ashamed of. At the very least it is assumed and implied that the “after” version is more worthy.
In reality all bodies should be loved no matter their size, shape, color, or physical ability.
The comparisons these pictures create lead people to believe that a leaner body is always better than one with more fat. Or that fat bodies don’t deserve recognition and respect. They also can leave people feeling less welcome and invited into the training space to actually make progress towards their goals. These all result in a fitness space that is more exclusive and less open to those who may not fit the typical mold.
Misinformation
If you stick around the fitness industry long enough you will learn it is absolutely saturated with misinformation. Unfortunately, before and after pictures are used as ammo in many of these instances.
How, you may ask? Well, first off there’s the obvious photoshop jobs and image editing. These get a lot of attention for how egregious and offensive they are as a marketing technique. But there are less obvious tactics as well. For example, more subtle ways may include the use of illegal substances for the transformation (anabolic steroids or weight loss products), protocols other than the advertised ones being followed, and even simple posing and sucking in of the abdomen. You would also be incredibly surprised what a difference in lighting can do. *Spoiler alert, it’s a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
Perhaps the most prominent way that before and after pictures spread misinformation is through a lack of context. Now, sometimes this isn’t always on purpose. However, a snapshot in time from before and after sheds absolutely zero light into the circumstances surrounding the situation. Would the person actually be found to be healthier if blood panels were drawn? Was there mental health better or worse after the transformation? Was it nutrition and exercise that caused the weight loss, or physical or mental illness?
There are so many outside factors that go into the complex lives of a human being that it’s impossible to point to a before and after picture and say “yes this is a better person”. Not only impossible, but arguably immoral as well.
The Case For Them
We used to use before and after pictures, and quite often. When you’re in the fitness industry it’s such a common practice that in some circles it can be considered detrimental to your business to not post them.
One of the most common arguments for using these pictures is that they provide data for the coach and/or client. They can be used to see markers of progress that may not have shown up on the scale or in other measurable forms. However, this is where we truly like to distinguish between before and after pictures and progress photos. We believe that there is a time and a place for progress photos that are used or shared exclusively between the coach and client. There are also many other ways to judge progress that can be matched to the particular client and situation.
Another common argument is that they inspire those that see them to take action towards their own goals. In theory, this sounds great. And it’s actually what we used to believe as well. But after working with hundreds of clients and coaching thousands of sessions that spurred even more conversations we have come to a different conclusion. Instead of inspiring action and creating change they instead can be off putting and create a negative association with fitness and training that keeps people from taking the steps they may want to in order to live a more active lifestyle. Although it’s well meaning to assume they help others create positive change, it is actually the opposite effect that these pictures have on most people.
In certain situations before and after pictures also come with the territory. This is especially true in physique sports such as bodybuilding and bikini competitions. Although an argument can be made that by participating in such sports you are already at the bottom of the diet culture rabbit hole, it still would be nice if somehow the sports of fitness could be kept separate from the rest of fitness when it comes to marketing and general representation. Although the prospect and possibilities of which make for an interesting conversation, it is a conversation best saved for another day as it is outside the scope of this article.
Lastly….
This is our decision. At Ascent Training and Performance our main mission is to make fitness for EveryBODY. When in doubt, we will always air on the side of the decision that allows access to movement for more people.
As a result we choose not to use before and after pictures with our clients and on our social media channels. That is our choice… We think every business in fitness should take a look at the risk vs reward of using photos such as these on their audience and clients. Weigh the positives and negatives and then make an informed decision for YOUR clients and YOUR business.
And if you don’t agree with us, that’s okay! Maybe we aren’t the right coaches for you to work with or work for. The good news is that there are many other incredible options and professionals out there. We encourage you to keep doing your research and keep looking until you find the right fit. After all, it’s the positive relationship between you and your coach that will drive results over the long term. Please don’t stop looking until you find that for yourself!
If reading this article made you say “hell yeah, these folks sound pretty rad” and you want to check out more of what we do you can find us on instagram at _ascent_training. You can also book a FREE remote or in person consultation at the link below to find out more about our services and what we offer.
https://www.ascenttrainingandperformance.com/getstarted
Finally, if you have any further questions or would like to continue the discussion on this topic please feel free to comment on this post or contact us via direct message on instagram or email. We encourage conversation and look forward to hearing from you!
