Taryn Brumfitt: Are You Really Talking To Me?
Lisa Page is a Writer, Registered Nurse, Certified Health Coach, Certified Fitness Instructor & Mother.
I began researching Taryn Brumfitt after she was crowned Australian of the Year in 2023.
Prior to that, I had seen her now famous before-and-after shot and I was aware of who she was and the Body Image Movement that she created but I was yet to watch the documentary or read the book.
To be perfectly honest, while I absolutely applauded the change she was creating in the world, I was not sure that her message was meant for me. I am, and have always been, petite, or for those less diplomatic, skinny. My body serves me well and I am fortunate to be able to consume pretty much whatever I like with little-to-no obvious effects. I consider myself healthy and my physical features unoffensive despite a growing collection of wrinkles and fine lines. I don't really have body image issues.
(Spoiler Alert - The fact that I just used the word “unoffensive” to describe myself and made a point that people call me skinny, are your clues that maybe I was wrong).
In actual fact, or perhaps with the benefit of hindsight, I felt that I didn’t deserve to be included in the audience. I had not needed to diet a day in my life. I didn’t even gain weight when I was pregnant.
What right did I have to complain about my body and how other people made me feel about it?
The Body Image Movement
My entire life people have assumed that I was super-fit because of my natural build even when I was far from it. An equal, if not greater number of people have assumed I was anorexic because of that same natural build. It has always baffled and bemused me that my exact same body size with a tan was healthy, but without, was quite obviously sick. Not a day goes by without someone telling me I am “too skinny” or that I “need some extra fat on my bones”.
What I have learned since engaging with the Body Image Movement, is that people of every shape, size, colour, gender, and fitness level, battle with body dissatisfaction and that media messaging in all forms has the power to be damaging and dehumanising but, if curated mindfully, it can be positive, empowering and world-changing. Oh, and yes, Taryn is talking to me.
Taryn Brumfitt’s Journey
Taryn's journey began well before the body image movement and well before the photo that earned her viral stardom. She had the “perfect” body and the medals to prove it but she was still picking her body apart and finding flaws where there were none.
She realised that fighting with her body to make it what it “should” be was making her miserable. This stark realisation opened her eyes to humanity’s body image problems, but it was the response to that raw, real, photo that exposed a “body dissatisfaction epidemic”.
Taryn Brumfitt in her famous before and after photos from 2013.
After “that” post, she was celebrated for her “bravery” (we’ll come back to that) and castigated for her offensiveness. A naked, yet modest, photo of a real woman in all her wonderful glory. A woman with a face that welcomed and warmed, a woman with a beautiful body that oozed energy and positivity, a body that, though unique, represented the norm rather than the exception. It is certainly not offensive, nor is it brave. It just is - or at least it should be. It was not considered brave nor offensive to post her before shot - a svelte, muscular athlete, apparently, that is impressive, or at the very least acceptable.
The reaction was instant, strong, and global. Taryn soon found herself being invited for comment by media outlets all over the world. It was clear that this issue was universal and Taryn wanted to know not only why, but also how to overcome this endemic self-loathing that seemed to permeate all corners of culture.
“Embrace”, the idea, was born. Taryn began what looks like an easy journey, but was actually very, very far from it, to produce a now world-acclaimed documentary. “Embrace” has been featured in cinemas across the globe, it has been shared in classrooms and streamed millions of times on Netflix. “Embrace” is a global phenomenon changing the world for the better.
The attention drawn by “that” photo connected Taryn with women from all over the world. Some of them are celebrities, and some of them are not. Some of them professionals, some of them not. Some of them are happy, but sadly, many of them are not. But none are average. The documentary allowed Taryn to engage with, collect and curate stories that were empowering and heartbreaking, oppressive and liberating, and everything in between because as she discovered and revealed, humans are everything in between we just need to learn to be ok with it.
EMBRACE YOURSELF
Some of the images and statistics included in both the book, ‘Embrace Yourself” and the documentary “Embrace” are confronting and honestly, frightening. Over ten million cosmetic surgeries are performed each year, and almost 90% of those are on women. This is in addition to over twenty million non-surgical cosmetic procedures. I have a medical background, so seeing a dozen or so vulvas on screen was not confronting but learning that nearly 100,000 labiaplasties are performed each year certainly was.
Surgery performed on women who assumed that something was wrong with them despite never actually seeing a vulva that wasn’t airbrushed into acceptability for a viewing audience.
“Embrace” shares many images of what is projected as the “perfect’ body. One sequence is a montage of billboard and magazine photos all displaying different but hardly unique portrayals of the ideal woman.
What I found shocking, was not so much the images themselves, but how normalised they had become. I discovered, that in isolation, it is easy to ignore the unattainable and unrealistic ideal, but when they are brought together in a continuous reel you realise that deep in your brain, there is a file full of these images. It is the file your ego pulls from when it tells you that you are, too fat, too thin, too wrinkly or too saggy, or simply that you are not enough.
The Body Image Movement aims to erase this file and replace it with real and beautiful images of real-life bodies. Lived in bodies that showcase the stories of life with all its ups and down and its traumas and its celebrations. Bodies coloured with the diversity of ethnicity, ability, and experience. Bodies that let our children know that they are ok. That their body is their own and that it is built for function, not form. That your body is a vehicle that enables your spirit to fly and to thrive.
Contrary to many keyboard warriors, the Body Image Movement is not “an excuse to let yourself go” or a “justification for laziness” in fact, it is quite the opposite. Taryn Brumfitt implores you to love your body without judgment, so much so that you want to care for and maintain that body to carry you through your hopefully long and unique journey. She demands that you embrace your body so you can embrace life, embrace health, and embrace joy.
The message, to everyone, is; You are beautiful just the way you are. You are allowed to take up space. You are enough. Embrace yourself.
The body image movement has been the catalyst for real change. Many retailers are now including a broader cross-section of sizes, abilities, and ethnicities in their advertising. Women can now see their reflection as opposed to an unrealistic ideal. Even Taryn admits that there is still a long way to go but the conversation has more than just started and the ripple effect is obvious.
You Are Beautiful Just The Way You Are
FitHer believes in your body and your spirit. It aims to bring together the best of health, wellness, fitness, beauty, and self-care, so you can choose how to embrace and celebrate your body in a way that feels strong and wonderful to you. It is about finding your very own FitHer and loving every bit.
We highly recommend watching “Embrace” and reading “Embrace Yourself”.
Right now, I am the fittest I have been since my teens. I play basketball weekly with an incredible bunch of women, I run a relatively easy 10k, I lift weights four times a week and I have gained unparalleled confidence and emotional strength writing about wellness for FitHer.
Not many people know how fit I am because on the outside my body has changed very little. On the inside though, on most days, I am strong, I am happy, and I am powerful. I am my very own version of FitHer.
Embrace your body and celebrate and explore with her at FitHer Expo in Sydney on October 7th and 8th 2023.