In September 2010, Abby Holt began working for Westpac as implementation manager. Within weeks, she was being subjected to bullying by team leader Emily Lowson. Holt, who weighed about 53 kilograms at the time of her employment, claims that Lowson referred to her as a ‘Breatharian,’ because she rarely ate at work. Lowson also…
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For the sake of this article, I’m just going to assume that you’re a feminist. You may not be, and I guess that’s your call, but just put yourself in my shoes for a moment anyway. The other day, I ordered a new pair of jeans from an online store. I was pretty excited, as…
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To add a healthy dollop of guilt to our days, women are now being told we’re responsible for other women’s body image issues, maybe even their eating disorders. This week, researchers at the University of Notre Dame’s Body Image and Eating Disorder Lab revealed just how distasteful women are who dare to share their insecurities…
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Disney has announced a new Princess: Merida from Pixar’s Brave. They’ve given her a makeover to celebrate the promotion, and many of her fans believe the company has robbed the character of her very being. Their anger has led to a petition with more than 93,000 signatories. When Pixar and Disney released Brave in…
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Very few things get talked about more than ‘self-esteem’, or rather, the lack thereof. And after many news articles and prime-time television special reports, we are all very aware of the fact that when it comes to their looks, the majority of women (and men, I might add) are not feeling all that impressed…
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The pursuit of the ‘perfect’ body is not something new; one only needs to look at Classical Greek sculpture to realise that. And the idea that this kind of body exists and is attainable – if only we stick to the right diet – is a dangerous myth. Every week, it seems, a new diet…
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Hey body, It’s time for us to talk about your little renovations. I know you’re 25 now, and you’re thinking about settling down, but I’ve got a bone to pick with you. You’re too big for all of my clothes. I guess we could call this “retaliation”. I put you through a pretty hectic summer….
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This is an article that I have been wanting to write for a long time, but have never known how to go about it. It was originally sparked by the fat acceptance movement – a movement designed to encourage acceptance of ALL body shapes. It is, for obvious reasons, a movement that I am strongly…
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‘Dear fingernails…I’m sorry it took me so long to realise your cracks and peels were beautiful and alive. I’m still coming to realise that my cracks and imperfections are beautiful, too.’ This is an excerpt from Attention: People with Body Parts, a collection of words offered by various contributors to the project, now published in…
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I don’t know about the rest of Australia but in Brisbane it’s pretty stinking hot. When you step outside the heat whacks you in the face like a hot sticky pillow and for a moment you can’t breathe. If you stand too long in one spot you’ll begin to feel droplets of sweat crawling down…
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As I edge closer and closer to the exciting period of my life known as my ‘mid 20’s’, I’m beginning to notice a lot of distinctly ‘adulty’ things happening around me and to people I know. Engagements are being announced, houses are being bought, full time jobs are being commenced – things that once seemed…
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Confident women are bad for the economy. Think about it. Imagine a world where women felt perfectly happy with themselves. There would be no anxiety about bad hair days, weight gain, or crow’s feet. This obsession with physical perfection awakens a deep sense of inadequacy which we then try to smother through consumerism. Step outside,…
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Do you ever worry about how your body and/or body parts are perceived by society? Attention: People With Body Parts is a new international project that aims to address the issues of body image – to encourage us to celebrate our body parts and their connections to ourselves and to others. ‘Our bodies are filled…
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I want to talk about legs. That’s right, those twin appendages upon which your body is perched and that, if you’re lucky, you rarely spend much time thinking about. Those fiendish little fellas have taken up so much of my brain space that I feel I must now vent. I have always had a rocky…
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