Talk to someone now. Call our National Helpline 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEST/AEDT) on 1800 33 4673. You can also chat online or email
Talk to someone now. Call our National Helpline 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEST/AEDT) on 1800 33 4673. You can also chat online or email
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Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week (BIEDAW) is Australia’s national awareness week, held annually in the first full week of September.
In 2026, BIEDAW runs Monday 7 to Sunday 13 September.
The Stories We’re Sold
Diet and wellness companies make millions by pressuring us to conform to narrow, unattainable body standards. We are pushing back – advocating for body respect over body shame, nourishment over restriction, and authentic living over appearance ideals. We’re asking: who really benefits?
BIEDAW 2026 celebrates the resilience of those in recovery and honours everyone navigating a world saturated with diet messaging.
We’re encouraging people to consider what wellbeing really means – self-trust, joyful movement, food freedom, and mental wellbeing – and showcase the strength it takes to reject harmful ‘wellness’ trends that masquerade as health. Because true wellness isn’t about changing your body – it’s about living fully in the one you have.
True Wellness
This BIEDAW, we’re exploring how popular narratives about health, appearance and self-improvement can contribute to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and eating disorders.
From celebrities endorsing diet products, to social media trends providing ‘quick fixes’ and questionable routines in order to achieve health, we’re constantly sold stories about what a “healthy” or “good” body and lifestyle routine should look like.
But true wellness isn’t about changing your body, nor is it a product you can buy. It’s about self-trust, joyful movement, food freedom and supporting mental health.
Wellness or Warning?
Dieting: Over 1 in 3 adolescents in Australia engage in disordered eating behaviours, such as dieting¹ – with wellness culture placing further pressure around ‘clean eating’.
Fitness Apps: 73% of users who used a specific calorie and fitness tracking app, believed that the app had contributed to the development of their eating disorder. ²
Wearable Technology: Research found that 70% of women who used wearable fitness devices engaged in at least one compensatory behaviour to meet their step goal. ³
Nutrition Misinformation: Unverified nutrition information from non-experts such as ‘wellness influencers’ and ‘fitness creators’ is widespread on social media ⁴, impacting viewers perceptions around food and may contribute to disordered eating behaviours. ⁵
Weight Stigma: Research analysed nutrition-related posts on TikTok, and found that 63% promoted stereotypical attitudes around bodies and weight. ⁴
Product Promotion: Among nutrition-related posts on TikTok, researchers found that 90% did not mention the risks or benefits of the advice or products shared. ⁴
Events & Activities
BIEDAW is led by the Eating Disorder Alliance, including Australia & New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders, Butterfly Foundation, Eating Disorders Families Australia, Eating Disorders Queensland, Eating Disorders Victoria, National Eating Disorders Collaboration.
BIEDAW 2026 Media Release
The Eating Disorder Alliance announces the theme for Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week (BIEDAW) 2026: Redefining ‘Wellness’ – Stories We’re Sold About Health and Our Bodies. The national awareness week will take place from Monday, 7 September to Sunday, 13 September 2026.
Building Your Media Literacy Toolkit
On Thursday 10 September 12:30pm – 1:30pm Eating Disorders Victoria are holding a free, online webinar as part of Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week, focusing on media literacy to help protect your body image and wellbeing in online spaces.
ANZAED 2026 Sydney Conference
Join leaders, clinicians, researchers and lived experience experts from across the eating disorder sector for four days of learning, connection and collaboration. The 2026 ANZAED Conference will feature Keynote Addresses, Oral Presentations, interactive sessions and a spotlight on person-centred care, plus pre- and post-conference workshops to extend your skills.
Learn more
¹ Sparti C, Santomauro D, Cruwys T, Burgess P, Harris M. Disordered eating among Australian adolescents: prevalence, functioning, and help received. Int J Eat Disord. 2019;52(3):246-54.
² Levinson, C. A., Fewell, L., & Brosof, L. C. (2017). My Fitness Pal calorie tracker usage in the eating disorders. Eating behaviors, 27, 14-16.
³ Blackstone, S. R., & Herrmann, L. K. (2020). Fitness wearables and exercise dependence in college women: considerations for university health education specialists. American Journal of Health Education, 51(4), 225-233.
⁴ Zeng, M., Grgurevic, J., Diyab, R., Roy, R. (2025). #WhatIEatinaDay: The Quality, Accuracy, and Engagement of Nutrition Content on TikTok. Nutrients, 17(5), 1–12.
⁵ Rajshri, R, Malloy, J (2023), in Garg BS (ed) Health promotion: principles and approaches, IntechOpen. Google Scholar
If you’re interested in covering Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week in the media, or want to learn more about how you can get involved, please get in touch with our Communications team comms@butterfly.org.au
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We commit to embracing diversity and eliminating discrimination in health care. We welcome all help-seekers and strive to create a safe place for all people, irrespective of their size, shape, age, abilities, gender, sexuality, cultural background, language, economic status, profession or location.
