First Guns

Kirstie Alley's Fitspiration

Being in the public eye is weird. It’s weird for any body, and it’s definitely weird for Kirstie Alley. Once known as an actress, she is now a celebrity caught up in an endless loop of having her body discussed, discussing the fact that her body is being discussed, owning the fact that her body is being discussed, owning the discussion about her body, and bemoaning that her body is being discussed. This kinds of makes us glad Michelle doesn’t talk about us, honestly.

But Kirstie did, of course, on Oprah last week. People described it this way:

[O]n Thursday’s The Oprah Winfrey Show , the former Jenny Craig spokeswoman discusses her recent weight fluctuations – and reveals an unlikely inspiration in her drive to get fit.

“We look around. We see what we want,” says Alley, 58. “Don’t you look around and see what you want to look like? I’m, like, ‘Look, Michelle Obama’s guns. I could have those arms,’ ” she says. “I don’t know about the legs.”

Responds Winfrey: “You’ve got to work for that.”

Ok first, People? “Unlikely?” Why is that exactly? Seems to us we are pretty darn inspirational, if we do say so ourselves. If you’re saying you don’t think Kirstie can get herself a pair of African-American arms, you’re right but we don’t think that’s where she is going. And, just as an aside, how come no one ever talks about Alley’s development deal with Oprah? Could that be part of why she is on?

Anyway, Oprah’s answer was spot on. It does take work. We’ll see you in the weight room, Ms. Alley. Being an inspiration to women is something we take seriously, and we know Michelle does too. When we hear about women working out because they want to be strong like us, we are thrilled—but each individual woman who does the work owes her success to herself and not to us. So while we applaud Kirstie’s, or anybody’s desire to get fit and feel good, remember that when you are lifting that weight, it’s all you.