Last night, together with Holly Deans and Fitlife, Eastside Midwives hosted a premiere of the Australian documentary ‘EMBRACE ‘- it was AMAZING!

Taryn Brumfitt is a mother of three beautiful children, from Adelaide who struggled with loving her body after the birth of her children. After achieving the ‘perfect body’ and competing in a bikini fitness competition she discovered that she was more miserable. This documentary follows her around the world as she talks to, cries with and learns from some inspiring women. Included in this movie was Mia Freedman (youngest ever editor of Cosmo), Turia Putt (who was severely burnt during an ultra marathon), Amanda de Cadenet (TV host) and many more.

Last night we literally cried watching how unhappy women are with their bodies. Their amazing bodies that grew life, that are strong and that carry them through life. We laughed at the humour women bring to life, even in difficult situations. And we felt immensely humbled and proud when women like Turia Pitt never give up, when they give so much of themselves to others and when we realised we still have so far to go to change the insidious nature of body shaming.

My favourite line from the movie was from British TV host Amanda de Cadenet who said ‘If I wanna eat a cookie that my kid bakes. I’m gonna eat the F#*king cookie’.

If you get the chance to watch this movie, watch it. Then watch it a second time. There is so much to take from this documentary. Every woman, every teen and every man should watch this. It isn’t just a woman’s problem. Body image issues come from all around us. Unrealistic images, preconceived ideas on what beauty is and pressures from everyone around us, are daily reminders to us that society doesn’t think we are ‘good enough’. We need to consider every influence on our children and raise them to love themselves for the person people they are.

If you haven’t heard about this movie, there is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL-Ia2DTtEs