Self-love in Movie Embrace
On last Wednesday night, I joined with the members of the Women’s Center for a screening of "Embrace" for Fat Talk Free Week. It is a 2016 Australian documentary directed by Taryn Brumfitt. The film explores the global issue of body criticism and shaming. It is a response to surveys showing that 90% of women around the world are "highly dissatisfied" with their bodies. Either stereotypes or fat-shaming are parts of the reasons why girls grow up insecure and shape themselves base on the criterion from society.
Being a Body Image Activist, Taryn Brumfitt posted an unconventional before-and-after photo in 2013 on her twitter. It was seen by more than 100 million people worldwide and sparked an international media controversy. The movie records her interview with celebrities like Mia Freedman, editor of the Australian Cosmopolitan and Amanda de Cadenet and Ricki Lake, television talk-show hosts and displays their empowering responses to the criticism. I was so inspired by her crusade as she explores the global issue of body loathing, talks with experts and collects opinions from women in the street. She encourages everyone to change the way we feel about ourselves and think about the individual body.
Like many others, I am suffering from losing weight and continue to think that I am not thin enough. Sometimes I feel upset about my imperfect body. This documentary redefines what I understand as “self-love.” Before seeing the film, "self-love" to me is striving for perfection without making mistakes, and correcting my own shortcomings as much as possible. However, this film tells me that "self-love" is actually to love self-imperfections, starting with embracing with the imperfect body. There are more other important goals to pursue rather than losing weights during the limited life. We all seek to be recognized while society teaches us to focus on the outside and ignore the inner strength. It is essential to living an enjoyable life, rather than pleasing anyone and succumbing to any values given by society.
A lot of women are putting too much time and effort on losing weights to reach unattainable social standards. For years the society has told the women to be beautiful is the most important thing to do. But everyone should embrace their imperfections and stop simply following the standards of society. We don’t all need to have double-fold eyelids and high-bridged noses to be beautiful. We don’t all need to keep fit like the Victoria Secret’s models. The definition of beauty should be held in the hands of women themselves but not the others. It is essential to know and protect individual uniqueness.
The society should learn to praise more of a woman's inner and her achievements instead of blindly pursuing the outside look. We actually don’t need it. As a member of humanities house, I would love to see women, girls, men and boys from all walks of life to develop more positive relationships with their bodies, food and themselves overall, and to stop buying the toxic messages that society purports. Like Tyrion Lannister said in Game of Thrones, “Wear your weakness like an armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.” Maybe I am not that slim like cyber celebrities and sometimes people laugh at me about that, but it causes no hurt when I love myself enough.
