What is the ‘perfect’ body?

body image Mar 03, 2023

Following on from International Women’s Day, meet Taryn Brumfitt, 2023 Australian of the Year, as her campaign to Embrace a positive body image grows.

Taryn made her first impact on public life when she posted a viral reverse "before and after" photo on Facebook where she embraced her post-natal body.

After the birth of her third child, Taryn was determined to regain her pre-pregnancy figure and what society might considers to be the "perfect figure". After considering plastic surgery, Taryn pursued a strict weight-loss and exercise regime, as well as competitive bodybuilding.

“The lifestyle that I lived to have that perfect body felt very restrictive, and it wasn’t really very joyful,” says Taryn.

This unhappiness sparked Taryn's decision to break out of societal restrictions and post her famous "before and after" photo.

Do you exercise to try and achieve the ‘ideal’ body shape that the media portrays and find you just end up feeling ashamed of your body?

Our bodies change shape from a young girl, through puberty to a young woman, in pregnancy, after pregnancy, after menopause and as we age.

Just think how amazing that is, how amazing your body is. To be able to change and adapt.

I know after having my children I felt very conscious of my body, for the first time really in my life. Teaching Pilates I felt everyone’s attention would be on my tummy, which after 3 children was not as flat as it was before and not as flat as other fitness instructor’s you see on social media.

I felt I should ‘look’ the part.

Before my children, I would often have comments from women saying they came to my class because they wanted to look like me. That was when I was in my 20s, before children and would wear crop tops and shorts without really thinking about it.

I was then worried that after having my children people would not take me seriously as a Pilates instructor if I was not ripped and super toned.

When I look at myself now, I see how much Pilates has helped me to regain my strength and fitness, reduce my diastasis recti and enable me to be an active mum, a strong woman of 47. I remind myself of how amazing my body is to be able to have grown and given birth to 3 beautiful children, breastfed them and now able to run and play with them!

You can find out more about her story and campaign here:

Every BODY is beautiful

How do you feel about your body?

How much does what your body look like matter?

If your body is healthy, works, functions efficiently, does everything you want it to, does it matter if it doesn’t fit into society’s expectations of what women should like today?

What is the ‘perfect figure’ has changed throughout history has changed. See how here: https://youtu.be/Xrp0zJZu0a4

Even women that are athletes all look different – but all excel in their chosen sport using their amazing bodies.

Does it matter what it looks like? If I feel confident in my own skin then that’s how I’ll come across. And if people want to judge that’s up to them.

My role as a woman, mum and Pilates instructor is not to strive for media’s ideals of how women should look but to empower women to love their body and keep it moving.

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