Butterfly Foundation Calls Upon Australians to ‘Be a Voice for Change’ to Make Body Image Concerns a National Priority
This Love Your Body Week we are seeking a national voice for change through our annual Body Esteem survey.
Monday 2 September 2019
Today marks the official launch of the Butterfly Foundation’s 2019 ‘Love Your Body Week’ campaign. In association with corporate partner Sportsgirl, Butterfly is this year calling upon 10,000 Australians to make their voices heard via the national 2019 Body Esteem survey.
The survey, from the leading national voice for those affected by eating disorders and body image issues, invites Australians to share insights into the perceptions of their bodies and how this impacts their day to day life.
‘Love Your Body Week’ runs nationally from 2nd – 8th September and sees Butterfly promote the importance of body confidence and raise awareness about the severity of negative body image and eating disorders..
In 2018 Butterfly released the ‘Insights into Body Esteem’ report that alarmingly revealed the prevalence of body dissatisfaction in Australia, with an overwhelming 73% wishing they could change the way they look. Furthermore, results found 41.5% of participants compared themselves to others on social media, prompting Butterfly to encourage Australians to ‘Change the Conversation’ about their bodies online.
In 2019, Butterfly is empowering Australians to ‘Be a Voice for Change’ to keep the conversation going and assist in making body image concerns a national priority. With the goal of reaching 10,000 respondents, Butterfly is urging people to take part to ensure a diverse range of voices are heard; from different communities, cultures and backgrounds to different bodies, shapes and sizes.
With diversity in every sense of the word at the forefront of this year’s survey, Butterfly has highlighted that ‘no matter who you are, your gender, how you identify or what your body looks like’ it is important to get involved so Butterfly can continue to do the vital advocacy work they do with real facts that represent Australians.
Butterfly Foundation CEO, Kevin Barrow, said “We know from last year’s survey that we are placing immense pressure on ourselves to look a certain way and often make negative comparisons to others. With 10,000 unique voices we can really start to make a difference to the way we talk about ourselves and our bodies, and to help reduce the risk factors of developing an eating disorder or body image issues.”
Beyond the survey, the Butterfly Foundation will also see nearly 1,000 schools and youth organisations participate in their ‘Love Your Body Week for schools’ program throughout this week and the month of September. Kevin Barrow described the program as: “the perfect opportunity for all those working with young people to show their commitment to promoting body acceptance and celebrating diversity in young Australians.”
As a corporate partner, Sportsgirl have this year commissioned four female Australian artists; Aretha Brown, Minna Gilligan, Ellen Porteus and Olivia Molly Rogers to create designs for a limited edition ‘wearable art’ scrunchie collection. Using life experiences as their inspiration, each artist has created a unique print to be incorporated within the design. The Sportsgirl scrunchies will be available to purchase at all Sportsgirl stores nationwide from today and retail for $7 with 100% of the profit going to Butterfly.
Sportsgirl CEO Colleen Callander, said “Body confidence and mental wellbeing are at the epicentre of Sportsgirl’s brand ethos and it is with great pride that Sportsgirl enter their 13th year of supporting Butterfly Foundation. This year we encourage our customers to be a ‘voice for change’ and take the Body Esteem survey.”
Butterfly’s 2019 Body Esteem survey will remain open for the month of September. Make your voice heard via the following survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LYBWBodyEsteem2019
For further information please contact:
Alex Cowen – Communication Manager
E: alex.cowen@butterfly.org.au
M: 0497 008 716
A reminder to refer to the safe reporting guidelines on body image and eating disorders.
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact Butterfly’s National Helpline 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or support@butterfly.org.au For urgent support call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
