EMBRACE: KIDS

Australia, 2022, 77 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Taryn Brumfitt.

In 2016, Body Image campaigner, Taryn Brumfitt, made the striking documentary, Embrace. It was an extensive film highlighting the importance of body image, the fact that so many people were not comfortable with their body, with their image, and the film offered techniques and advice about how to be accepting of one’s body. This documentary focuses on the younger generation, the same issues but tackling them at an earlier age.

Taryn Brumfitt was Australian of the year, 2023, this giving her a more prominent platform for her campaign.

Best to indicate her approach with a text from her website: The Body Image Movement (BIM) is an international mission to help people embrace their bodies. It was founded on the belief that your body is not an ornament, it’s the vehicle to your dreams. BIM believes that everyone has the right to love and celebrate their body, regardless of shape, size, ethnicity or ability.

Through educational resources, events and a whole lotta inspiration from founder Taryn Brumfitt, the Body Image Movement is teaching the world to love the skin you’re in.

Taryn Brumfitt also established the website, Embrace Hub. This is very much a site for children, the production of this documentary, the production of a book, the website and its continual resources: Body Image is a complex issue. We know it’s consistently ranked in the top 3 issues of concern for young people (Mission Australia Survey), but knowing what to do about it is a bit trickier.

Enter the Embrace Hub. This site is your go-to for all things Body Image, from resources backed by (non-boring) science to inspiring stories from people around the world – including the stars of the Embrace Kids documentary!

The brief documentary focuses on a quite a range of children, talking heads, explaining their attitude towards their body, not being conscious, discoveries, dislike, criticisms and bullying. These sections of the documentary are very helpful for education purposes. In the latter part of the film, there is a focus on various adults as well as body issues, the focus on a boy/girl, Audrey Mason-Hyde, giving a TED Talk at a young age, later being interviewed, the musical group,, Electric Field, an American educator film with a number of young people with a body limitations, affirming them.

There is a great deal more material available on the respective websites.