Miranda's comment about feeling like she needs to look a certain way (or that management expects her to look a certain way) to teach her classes really hits home for me.

The truth is, I've often felt the same way about MYSELF as Miranda does. When I was 40 pounds heavier than I am now, I had a hard time escaping the nagging feeling that I wasn't a very good "advertisement", if you will, for my own company. That, as the leader of an athletic organization, I should somehow *look* more like what an athlete is "supposed to look like". OTOH, one of the reasons I started TE was because we women come in all shapes and sizes, and I didn't feel like alot of the apparel out there represented that reality. Nor did it represent the reality of my *own* shape for much of my adult life, regardless of my level of fitness.

Those 2 things (my emotions vs. my company mission) are in obvious conflict, and I can't help feeling guilty (and rather shallow) about that somehow. Being the best I can be at *any* weight should be my motivation, and should be what reflects well on TE. But I, like many (most?) women, suffer from body image issues, and what we think society "expects" of us.

So, Miranda, I don't have any answers for you, but I do understand how easy it is to be conflicted about this kind of thing.