Images courtesy of Body Image Movement.
In the era of social media and #fitspo, it’s understandable why so many parents would not even know where to start when it comes to tackling the hefty topic of body image.
Coming to the aid of parents everywhere is a new kids book that covers the topic with care.
South Australian writer and founder of the Body Image Movement, Taryn Brumfitt is helping parents teach their kids to love who they are inside and out with her new picture book, Embrace Your Body.
Illustrated by Sinead Hanley, Taryn’s new book not only aims to teach kids to embrace their bodies, but also aims to create a space for them to learn to accept what makes them unique. Teaching them that our bodies are not just ornaments in our life, but rather vehicles to our dreams.
“Embrace Your Body focusses on themes like gratitude for what our bodies can do,” says Taryn.
“Regardless of size, shape, colour or ability, we are ALL worthy and I want children to understand and appreciate that diversity is beautiful.”
Embrace Your Body was born out of Embrace Kids, a song which teaches kids to be comfortable within their own skin.
Taryn produced the catchy 80s-style tune with the children’s entertainment duo, Pevan & Sarah.
It was a song that Taryn was inspired to create after learning that body image was the number one concern for over 70% of Australia’s youth.
The message behind the Embrace Kids Song clearly resonated with many parents and their children, as it quickly jumped to number one on the iTunes children’s charts-kicking the uber-popular Baby Shark off the top spot.
After experiencing the success of the Embrace Kids Song, Taryn set out to pen a book version of the song, which morphed into Embrace Your Body.
“We weren’t born into the world hating our bodies, this was a learned behaviour, something needed to be done and there’s no better way to embed some positivity into the hearts of little ones, than in a book.”
Taryn’s journey to body positivity began almost a decade ago when she found herself considering undergoing cosmetic surgery to fix some of the insecurities she had about her body.
This was all brought to a screeching halt when Taryn had an epiphany.
“It made me wonder how I could be a positive role model for my daughter and teach her to embrace her body as is.”
So, she cancelled her tummy tuck and breast augmentation, vowing to love her body how it was and encourage others to do the same.
In 2012, Taryn founded The Body Image Movement, an initiative that aims to end the global body-hating epidemic by inspiring people to embrace who they are.
The organisation has created documentaries, books, online programs, speaking and educational resources where they utilise evidence-based data provided by health professionals to create incredibly educational and engaging content that is entertaining for people of all ages and all walks of life.
In 2013, an Instagram photo would take The Body Image Movement global.
Taking to social media, Taryn uploaded what she would refer to as an unconventional before and after shot.
The mother of three posted the side by side shot as a way to emphasise that it’s ok to embrace the changes that occur to our body throughout life, whether it’s pregnancy, ageing, weight gain or weight loss.
The photo went viral, garnering over 700,000 likes, 20,000 shares and over 3.6m views, effectively solidifying Taryn’s role within the body image movement.
Since then, Taryn has become a driving force in the body positivity movement.
Releasing Embrace in 2016, a documentary that dives head-first into the issue of body loathing, Taryn’s work with The Body Image Movement has seen her recognised by organisations such as United Nations Women, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls and the Geena Davis Institute.
Taryn is now teaming up with fellow South Aussies, actress Teresa Palmer and former politician, Natasha Stott Despoja as well as comedian Celeste Barber to produce Embrace Kids, a documentary which aims to highlight the body image issues affecting children.
The project is being crowdfunded with a GoFundMe as well as through the sale of Body Image Movement resources such as the Embrace Kids Song and the Embrace Scarf-a hand-painted scarf that symbolises self-love and adventure which was created by the local artist, Holly Eva.
Order yourself a signed copy of Taryn’s new book, Embrace Your Body here and for a limited time, score yourself a free bookmark, colouring set, word search and stickers for your little ones.
Body Image Movement is also providing a range of free curriculum supported resources on the topic of body image for parents and teachers.
For more information about The Body Image Movement head to https://bodyimagemovement.com/.
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