Woman who teaches others to love their bodies has been named Australian of the Year
Published
| Last updated
.png)
A woman who teaches others to love their bodies has been named Australian of the Year for 2023.
Taryn Brumfitt runs the Body Image Movement, which is an organisation that is trying to change the narrative on how we look at ourselves.
The mother-of-four was once a bodybuilder and would appear in competitions, however she went viral on social media for showing off her body when she's not competing, according to News Corp.
She's since gone on to release books and documentaries about body image in the hope it will help people be a little bit more comfortable with how they look.
ABC News says her 2016 documentary, Embrace, was picked up by Netflix and was shown in 190 countries.
It explored why so many people around the world were unhappy with their body and steps that can be taken to improve that mentality.
"We weren't born into the world hating our bodies, this is something the world has taught us," she said (via the ABC).
"Body-shaming is a universal problem, and we have been bullied and shamed into thinking our bodies are the problem.
"What if, instead of spending precious time and energy at war with their bodies, our young people were free to become the leaders, big thinkers and game changers the world needs more of right now?"
In the age when people are being constantly bombarded with images of slim and toned bodies on social media, Taryn's work has been incredible.
And now she's been given one of the country's highest honours.
She told reporters at the National Arboretum in Canberra after receiving Australian of the Year: "I think we have a big problem in this country with how our kids are feelings about their bodies.
“It’s a paediatric health emergency...We’ve got to get this right.”
She's insisted that loving the body you're in doesn't mean we should accept obesity.
However, Taryn believes we need to get out of the mindset that we can all look like supermodels.
"It's about the way that we feel about all of ourselves: our skin colour, our height, our age, our gender, our unique selves — and it is learning to move, nourish, respect and enjoy our bodies," she said.
"Because you can't look after something you don't love.
"It is not our bodies that need to change, it is our perspective."
