All through the media- in fitness magazines, websites, fitness books, etc - you've seen them. The lovely and enviable fitness beauties in bikinis. These ladies are lovely, in great shape, and it's not at all unusual for those who are of "average" beauty and fitness to be envious.
But did you know they aren't shown in the media for the purpose of causing envy or feelings of inferiority? The media doesn't INTEND to promote low self-esteem or insecurity in readers or watchers. Most fitness magazines or websites that use these models, use them for purposes of motivation.
They are used to demonstrate workout techniques, stretching moves, there are "before and after" photos of these lovely people in some, and they are ideally used to promote the idea of health and wellness. The general idea behind using fitness beauties in bikinis in the media is to show the average person that they CAN get in great shape and can be the "ideal" picture of health.
Of course, anyone can feel a bit intimidated or feel insecure when seeing something or someone that they feel is the "ideal," and it's extremely easy to feel that we don't quite measure up. Just as we have our own insecurities and self-esteem issues, these fitness models have their own issues to deal with concerning their body images. The important thing to remember about these ladies is, although they are sometimes stunningly beautiful and in great shape, they're still human beings.
Although these fitness beauties in bikinis work very hard to maintain their body weight, muscle mass and maintain their good looks- they each have something about themselves that they have to work very hard on. They often have their own self-esteem or body-image issues. That's part of the reason that they are used in photos so often for fitness and health magazines, because they are usually average people who have gotten fit after much hard work.
These models are used to provide motivation and hope to those who struggle with weight or fitness issues, those who struggle with general health issues, etc. The primary reason being again, that they are usually everyday, average people who have gotten to where they are physically after a very intense program of self-work. This would include changing the way they eat, workout routines, etc.
Changing one's physical fitness and their general health habits is extremely difficult for most people- these ladies are proof that it can be done. The media doesn't intend on encouraging self-esteem issues in average people by using fitness beauties in bikinis, it's rather quite the opposite - they intend for these types of photos to be motivating and inspiring.
One could easily blame the media for the fact that these types of photos can make the average person feel insecure, or even that the media is to blame for society's skewed ideal of the "perfect" body. But most people would rather see one of these fitness models in a health magazine, than an anorexic fashion model on the cover of their teenager's magazine.