“It was really important for me to be in this because growing up I was just always fed the message that you need to look a certain way to be worthy,” Sheppard said. “And honestly, it’s just not the truth. It’s taken me a long time to work it out and really start to feel my worth in who I am as a person rather than just how I look and putting my capabilities front and centre, rather than my aesthetics. “We should be teaching the younger generation that they have more to offer this world than just looks. At the end of the day, looks don’t really mean anything.” More than 70 per cent of Aussie kids cite that body image is their No. 1 concern answering yes to the question: “Do you get very distressed or preoccupied by any specific aspect of your physical appearance?” This has more than doubled from the 33 per cent reporting body image distress in 2009. Body image is also consistently ranked in the top three issues of personal concern in the Mission Australia Youth Survey.Brumfitt said Embrace: Kids was the next step in the Embrace journey. After her 2016 documentary which millions of people across the world watched, the No. 1 piece of feedback was “I wish I had seen this film when I was younger”. “No child was born hating their body, it’s a learned behaviour, I want to undo what’s been done,” Brumfitt said. In the film, Sheppard speaks about her light bulb moment – the decision to post an unfiltered bikini picture of herself on Instagram. She had initially edited the image, cinched in her waist, whacked on a filter, but realised she looked like a Barbie doll, not herself. She undid the edits and posted the picture – cellulite and all. The response was both positive and overwhelming. “I was shocked because it was quickly my most liked photo,” she recalls.“I had DMs from women and people all around the world saying ‘Thank you. This is the content we need to see. I have been craving to see a body that looks like mine’. “It was in that moment that I decided I would never photoshop another picture again. I decided that I was going to be the influencer who had cellulite and was OK with that. “I wanted to be the person who could sit down and have a roll in the tummy without worrying about it. Because it’s normal and it’s natural and everyone has tummy rolls.” Along with Sheppard, Brumfitt has called on other of her well-known celebrity friends including Celeste Barber, Jameela Jamil and Electric Fields to explore social media, photoshopping, ‘fitspiration’, the influence of media and advertising on body image and role models. Sheppard – who’s just about to release her debut solo EP Nothing But Wild next month – wishes this film was around when she was growing up. It would have prevented a lot of heartache. “If I did have some tools to fall back on, it would have just given me a little bit more resilience, and I would have maybe put a little less weight behind what I was seeing on TV and music videos.” Accompanying the release of the film is the Embrace Kids book and the Embrace Hub, an all-inclusive portal for safe and effective body image resources. Embrace Kids, in cinemas Thursday, September 1theembracehub.comAnyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues should contact Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 or support@butterfly.org.au
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