Embrace - Suburban Sandcastles Film & Conversation
Event Information
Description
Embrace tells the story of Taryn Brumfitt’s journey from body loather to body lover - an Australian wife and mother who embarks on an international crusade to change the way we think and feel about our bodies.
“'You are fat, you are ugly, you are disgusting' – that’s what I used to say to myself when I looked in the mirror. I loathed my body, I hated my body."
Taryn Brumfitt is an internationally recognised body image activist and founder of The Body Image Movement. In just three years, she has reached over 100 million people with her powerful message of body acceptance.
In her search for the perfect body Taryn, a mother of three, was about to go ‘under the knife’ for breast augmentation and a tummy tuck in 2012. But as Taryn was watching her three-year-old daughter playing, without a care in the world, she suddenly thought: “What message am I sending my daughter?” Taryn cancelled her surgery and instead entered herself in a body building competition, determined to attain the elusive “perfect body” that would finally put her self-loathing to rest.But when Taryn reached her goal weight she realised nothing had changed. At this moment she had an epiphany: Self-acceptance has nothing to do with size or shape, it is a state of mind.Taryn shared her revelation via social media, and when her body returned to a more natural state, she posted a ‘before and after’ photo that grabbed attention worldwide: ‘before’ in bikini-clad competition mode, and ‘after’ as the happier, healthier version of herself. Within days of posting the images Taryn had over three million Facebook views and an outpouring of support from people all over the world.
EMBRACE follows Taryn as she tells her own story, and interviews extraordinary people across the globe. Funny, often heart wrenching, and always inspirational, through Taryn’s lens you’ll learn that we all have the power to change our lives by embracing our bodies, just as they are.
Q&A panel
Fiona Sutherland is a Melbourne-based Dietitian and Director of Body Positive Australia which offers therapy, retreats, yoga & training for health professionals. Fiona is a specialist in Mindful Eating, Body Image and Eating Disorders, working with individuals, groups, communities and organisations to support people to find a more peaceful and positive relationship with food, eating and their body. She is a passionate advocate for mindfulness, the Non Diet Approach and Body Positive movement, and aims to spread the word about body acceptance, turning away from diets and nourishing ourselves in an authentic way that truly meets the needs of our body and mind.
Danni Rowlands, Education Manager for The Butterfly Foundation, supporting Australians experiencing eating disorders. Danni’s role is to manage the services and programs that aim to address the protective and risk factors that under pin body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and eating disorders. As a result of these programs Butterfly has reached over 550,000 young people, 6,000 professionals and parents around the country.
Danni has worked in the not for profit sector for almost 20 years, with specific involvement in the eating disorder sector for over 13. She has worked and volunteered in various capacities during this time following her own lived experience. Danni worked as a fitness professional for many years and through her own business advocated for healthy and balanced behaviours with food and exercise. Danni also played Netball at the highest level in Victoria, retiring in 2008.
Danni, also a mum of 2 pre-school aged children, is passionate and dedicated about the prevention of eating disorders and also the building of self and body confidence in people of all ages.
Jessica Humphreys, Social Media and Digital PR specialist. In 2013, she started her own Communications Agency, Social Concepts. Jessica also teaches PR and Social Media at Federation University. While at Uni, Jessica developed a keen interest in Gender and Sexual Politics while writing her Honours Thesis on the Sexual Politics of Female Burlesque. Jessica combines these two interests by providing regular media commentary on how our digital environment further impacts our perceptions of gender.
About the event
Join us for a nourishing meal, fresh juice and healthy treat, available for purchase before the film. Connect with our community and explore what's on offer from our local business exhibitors. There's also great prizes in our raffle thanks to our exhibitors and generous local businesses.
Event program
5.45pm doors open, nourishing food and drink available, local exhibitors
6.45pm film commences
8.30pm Q&A panel followed by prize raffle
9.00pm event concludes
