A celebration of body diversity
Embrace (M, 86 mins)
in for cosmetic surgery. But after reflecting on what kind of a message that would send her daughter, she cancelled.
In the past, her alternative would have been natural body building.
However, it became clear to her that path involved too much sacrifice and energy and she should find a better balance for an overall healthier life.
That’s when she posted pictures on Facebook that subverted the usual before and after shots – images that captured the attention of people around the world and led to her founding the Body Image Movement.
Embrace details not only what happened next in terms of the fallout and feedback, but also follows Brumfitt as she travels around the globe meeting women with their own body image stories to tell.
There’s former talk show host Ricki Lake, Cosmopolitan magazine editor Mia Freedman, Vogue photographer Amanda de Cadenet, German actress Nora Tschirner, ‘‘bearded lady’’ Harnaam Kaur and motivational speaker Turia Pitt.
Each of them has a compelling tale to relate, as viewers learn all about how easy it is to photoshop away those extra pounds, the troubling rise of cosmetic procedures and money poured into the ‘‘diet’’ industry. As Brumfitt says, ‘‘I never trust a four-letter word where the first three letters spell die’’.
For many, she won’t be saying or offering up anything new, but what Brumfitt is doing, without the gimmickry of say That Sugar Film or Super Size Me, is highlighting how global the problem of body shaming and self-loathing has become. – James Croot