Looking Back: Jowls, Bums & Bingo Wings

It's vintage blog post week while I take a break from blogging. This post originally ran on my Fit In Real Life blog on May 21, 2008.

Normally, I'm not one to take lightly the derogatory words women use to talk about their bodies and their various "flawed" parts. But when I read this article about a British celebrity's new fitness DVD, I have to admit I giggled out loud. What the heck are Bingo Wings?

Bingo Wings, I've discovered, is a British term for the loose skin that hangs on the back of the upper arm. The term seems to have originated in bingo halls across England, where fleshy-armed ladies would raise their hands in the air and yell, "Bingo!" as the skin waved back and forth -- hence, Bingo Wings.

Isn't it amazing how many different ways we can find to insult our bodies?

Though I take body image very seriously, I'm not completely humorless on the topic. In fact, a make-up artist on one of my photo shoots for Shape magazine had to re-do my eye make-up after she made me laugh so hard that I was crying. Her term for the fleshy skin on the back of her upper arms? She called them her, "Hi, Jeannies." Apparently, a friend of hers once saw another friend (Jeannie) on the street and called out, "Hi, Jeannie" as she waved furiously. The skin went on waving long after she stopped, causing the two pals to forever refer to their loose arm skin as their "Hi, Jeannies."

Still, most of us go way too far when it comes to beating up on our bodies. Check out the "Bingo Wings" on actress Sarah Harding. I'll wait while you get your magnifying glass.

As Pavitra Ciavardone, my Shape life coach, once told me, "Be careful with the words you choose to talk about yourself." What we think and say becomes our reality.

So say some good things to your body today.

Bingo Wings, I've discovered, is a British term for the loose skin that hangs on the back of the upper arm. The term seems to have originated in bingo halls across England, where fleshy-armed ladies would raise their hands in the air and yell, "Bingo!" as the skin waved back and forth -- hence, Bingo Wings.

Isn't it amazing how many different ways we can find to insult our bodies?

Though I take body image very seriously, I'm not completely humorless on the topic. In fact, a make-up artist on one of my photo shoots for Shape magazine had to re-do my eye make-up after she made me laugh so hard that I was crying. Her term for the fleshy skin on the back of her upper arms? She called them her, "Hi, Jeannies." Apparently, a friend of hers once saw another friend (Jeannie) on the street and called out, "Hi, Jeannie" as she waved furiously. The skin went on waving long after she stopped, causing the two pals to forever refer to their loose arm skin as their "Hi, Jeannies."

Still, most of us go way too far when it comes to beating up on our bodies. Check out the "Bingo Wings" on actress Sarah Harding. I'll wait while you get your magnifying glass.

As Pavitra Ciavardone, my Shape life coach, once told me, "Be careful with the words you choose to talk about yourself." What we think and say becomes our reality.

So say some good things to your body today.