Be body confident, this new year
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! What a year 2022 was and 2023, once again I feel, is going to be another year where community spirit is going to be very much needed to get ourselves, through right here in the East Midlands.
Last month we talked about the importance of realising that a new year’s resolution is just a “goal”. I can’t help but feel that a “new years resolution” has a weight attached to it that can enhance the feeling of failure if not achieved within the first couple of months of the new year and as Big Ben struck 12 on the 1 January 2023 in London it seemed there was such positive vibes being sent across our social media profiles… Just ten days into 2023 I’m already feeling a change in the air.
Just the other day, on my personal Facebook profile, I saw a friend of our ten years - a married mum of two - who has run marathons and is known for her energetic ways feeling down on herself because an App has put her in the category of XL for being a size 12. The app, known as Vinted, is a way of selling on your clothes to others, has a search facility for you to browse through your clothing size… It’s quite a cool app, to be fair, and I’ve certainly bagged a few bargains on there over the last couple of months! Having said this, this particular status has stayed in my head for the last few days. Who are these branding giants to be defining categories that could be detrimental to a person’s wellbeing or, dare I say, overall health?
Let’s just have a bit of a reality check, here! For example did you know that, according to the Office of National Statistics, the average height of a female in 2022 is 5ft 3! Even more important for our western, UK based, culture to realise is that the average female size in the UK is a 16, according to Fashion United UK (and many others!). What I loved about the research, by Fashion United UK, is that they looked at how individuals see their body shape - so in other words, not just their size. Do you know what they found? 81% of those surveyed identified with a shape which was different to what the fashion industry, and their designers, would have described their body shape as. In other words, the fashion industry is out of touch with us as real people and as real consumers.
In my opinion, the fashion & editorial based industries have been given the control for far too many years and that control has led to them becoming out of touch with our real world… Not a filter, AI (artificial intelligence) or an edited image for the front cover of a magazine but a REAL individual that we’d see having a cuppa in a cafe on our local highstreet right here, in Belper, for example.
In May, last year, I showed you an Oxford University study, from 2011, which found that our body shape is actually dictated by our genes which results in our bodies choosing where to store our body fat… I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that our body needs fat to survive! Fat is an energy source however how we foster that is a post for another day… The point is that our genes dictate our body shape and, therefore, we can control our size but not our body shape. How are we, though, meant to feel positive about our bodies if a popular brand, whether it be an App or a high street store, tell us that a size 12 - below the UK average size - is classed as an extra large??
You know how I feel about the current state of body image in the UK, and the lack of care shown by our UK Government - with the hashtag campaign #recognisebodyimage - not taking momentum post covid-19 but what I can do is let you know that you’re not on your own. Whether it be with a resolution or panicking about the size on a hanger, it’s important for us all to know that our body size does not dictate our shape and our shape does not dictate whether we are big or small. My advice would be to keep it real… In my experience as a person who did gymnastics for over ten years, at competition level (and on the display team for team GB back in 2003!) and classed as the “fat one” on the mats, has had three children in ten years plus the general ups and downs of life, you just need to keep your goals realistic and manageable for your own wellbeing. You need to make sure that whatever goal (or new year’s resolution) you keep it realistic so that you’re able to achieve it and feel the benefit of that achievement. Keep yourself motivated… I’ll be honest, an app that doesn’t know you - or your body and lifestyle - is not going to look after you. They don’t have that community, Derbyshire, spirit that I mentioned at the start of this blog or over on our Facebook group, Be Bold Be You Be Here! You can look after yourself. If you choose to make anything a goal this year, make sure self care is practiced to achieve the most you can for yourself.
What is #uckTheFilter?
Originally started in 2022, this is where we are encouraging all women to be Bold and embrace who they are through professional photography - without a filter insight. Join the campaign today and #uckTheFilter.
Here’s exactly what is included:
All #uckTheFilter participants will be with us for 3 hours and this time includes:
- up to an hour in hair & makeup with a member of the #BBBY professional Stylist team,
- up to 60 minutes in the studio
- up to two of your own outfit changes
- a same day viewing of your imagery, which usually lasts up to 60 minutesA complimentary momento trophy gift, including an image of your choice, for you to keep and remember as you embrace your own “Be Bold Be You” moment as part of the #uckTheFilter campaign
£50 to put towards ANY final pieces including printed portfolios, and/or wall art. You don’t have to purchase any additional imagery however, from experience, most want to purchase additional imagery so we gift you some speaking credit incase you do.