Viva Brighton Issue #48 February 2017

DOCUMENTARY
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Taryn Brumfitt
...is body positive
In 2013, Taryn Brumfitt
BEFORE
posted an atypical
‘before and after’ photo
to Facebook and the
internet took note. Today,
the founder of the Body
Image Movement tells us
about the road to body
positivity and her vital
documentary Embrace.
The journey from
being a ‘normal’ person
to becoming the confidant for thousands
struggling with their bodies across the globe
hit pretty hard; I received over 7,000 emails and
messages and it was like - this needs some serious
attention. Now, as the Body Image Movement
grows, it’s a privilege to be able to spend 90 minutes
with people with Embrace. It’s not just my story, but
the inspiring stories of women around the world.
Because of the messages that are constantly
rammed down our throats, values based on what
someone looks like - to look like this, to be hot, to
have a bikini body - are toxic. It’s my great wish
for Embrace to start a conversation and change
this looks-based value system; it’s not about
how someone looks, big or small, cellulite or no,
hot or not - that’s irrelevant. When you have a
foundation of values based on who someone is, as
opposed to what they look like, it changes the way
you see everything.
Somebody always asks me, ‘don’t you think
women are their own worst enemies?’ But I think
the media and the beauty and diet industries have
enjoyed women being in competition. It lines their
pockets when women feel insecure. But your body’s
not an ornament - it’s a vehicle. I’ve asked thousands
of people, ‘what will you be thinking about when
you take your final breath?’. No-one’s ever said,
‘my cellulite’ or ‘my big
AFTER
nose’ - because those
things don’t matter. We’ve
lost perspective on what’s
important.
With so much focus on
perfect bodies in the
media, there’s so much
for parents to do. Of
course, children look up
to their mum and hear
everything she says. So if
someone’s talking about diets and hating their body,
it’s going to be passed down - never talk about diets
in front of a child. Don’t make food ‘good’ or ‘bad’ -
have a healthy relationship with food.
I never give compliments like ‘you’re pretty’
to my daughter, because I don’t want to build
her foundation of values on looks. I want to build
her up to value herself for who she is and how she
contributes to the world. When people in Embrace
talk about being beautiful, they aren’t talking about
the outer. I don’t believe you can see beauty - it’s
kindness, humility and compassion. I would never
refer to someone being beautiful aesthetically, I just
don’t see the world like that. A lot of people do - and
that’s where we become unstuck!
It’s my goal to get Embrace into every high
school across the world. With education
specialists, we’ve written and put together a study
guide. It’s so important that teenagers are able to
access this film. I hope that by the time I take my
final breath we’ve created some meaningful change
for people around the world.
As told to Amy Holtz
Embrace is in cinemas now. Tickets to an
‘on-demand’ screening at the Odeon on
International Women’s Day, 5th March, are
available at tickets.demand.film/event/1375
© Embrace, 2016
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