A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon Beautiful You which promotes Body Love {something you all know that I am passionate about as I created “I Heart My Body 2010“}. I emailed Julie, telling her that I adored the positive and powerful messages on her site and asked if she would be willing to spend a few minutes answering a few questions. She said YES! So, over to Julie:
What was your main goal for starting Beautiful You?
Beautiful You was born out of my passion for wanting to help people realise they are special, worthy and beautiful – just as they are. We live in a world that regularly tells people they must go on extreme diets, buy expensive products, or look a certain way for them to be beautiful and acceptable. I am a counsellor and I see so many people who do not believe in themselves, so I wanted to create a space that people could return to time and time again to receive the message that they are an amazing person and have a special contribution to make to the world. Beautiful You is my open love letter to anyone searching for their best and most beautiful self. It, and my readers, have provided me with more beauty and inspiration that I ever thought possible.
How do you feel about the portrayal of women’s bodies in the media?
I think in general there is a great lack of diversity in mainstream media in the way women’s bodies are portrayed. It is still the case that we mostly see women who fit the current societal ‘norm’ of what is beautiful in movies, magazines and on televisions, ie. tall, thin, full breasted – you know what I mean! While of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with women who are naturally thin or have a body like this, I believe it is time we started to see more women in the media that were short, disabled, or fat – just to name a few of the body types we don’t regularly see or are seen as not being as attractive as others. When this diversification happens and women start to see themselves more in the mainstream media we know they can feel better about themselves, because they are being included in a wider definition of what is beautiful.
How do you think the media should go about reinforcing these positives?
Well, I think showing greater body diversity is key and then beyond that, being part of genuinely spreading the word that it doesn’t matter what size or shape you are, that all women are unique and beautiful in their own way. We often forget about this uniqueness and fail to recognise that there is no one else who looks exactly like us in the world. That makes every woman incredibly rare and special and that’s something that we all, and you all, should honour. Comparing ourselves to what others look like is so futile for this exact reason.
A true celebration of body diversity must also come from us too. We cannot expect the media to do it all for us. We have to do all we can to promote positive body image in ourselves and in others, teaching our children that there is no such thing as a bad body or someone who is ugly or unacceptable. When we create this sort of tolerance, understanding and love for one another – body hatred and all its associated problems will greatly diminish.
Do you feel that “Body Love” + “Positive Body Images” should be taught within the education system? If so, is there a particular age? And then type of content?
Absolutely! We teach children about sex education and drug education in schools, (as we should), but so very little about what self esteem, self confidence, believing in ourselves and what positive body image is. I have always found this incredibly ironic as if we help a child and young person to have healthy self esteem and body image, issues regarding early sexual behaviour and experimentation with drugs, research clearly tells us, diminishes greatly.
We should be teaching children about these concepts from early primary school right through until latter high school in an age appropriate way. At a young age this is about learning to be kind to ourselves and others and think positive thoughts. In older years it’s about teaching media literacy and direct ways they can boost their body image and self esteem – and be a part of doing that for others as well.
Anything else you would like to share?
I love being a positive body image advocate. It is my life passion and calling. I specialise in life coaching and counselling for women who would like to learn ways they can improve their self esteem and body confidence or assisting them address issues as such eating disorders, depression, anxiety and relationship concerns. I have a practice in Melbourne but also telephone, SKYPE and e-counsel clients nationally and internationally. Many counselling engagements can attract a substantial Medicare rebate. You can learn more about my work at www.julie-parker.com.au and read my blog Beautiful You at www.beautifulyoubyjulie.com Please also feel free to drop me a line at julie@julie-parker.com.au. You can also stay up to date on twitter and facebook.
Thank you Julie for sharing with everyone your thoughts and opinions. I recommend that everyone visits Beautiful You, because ladies you are BEAUTIFUL!
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