Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2026

MEDIA RELEASE 

The Eating Disorder Alliance today 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. 

The 2026 theme challenges the growing influence of diet and wellness culture, exploring how popular narratives about health, appearance and self-improvement can contribute to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and eating disorders. It encourages all people in Australia to question who benefits from wellness messages that promote narrow and often unattainable ideals. 

At a time when wellness trends dominate social media feeds, advertising and everyday conversations, BIEDAW 2026 will promote a broader and more inclusive understanding of wellbeing and health. This is a chance to recognise that there is no single way for wellbeing to look or feel and to explore the ideas of self-trust, food freedom, joyful movement, mental wellbeing and body respect as potential components of ‘wellness’, rather than solely appearance or body size. 

The campaign is set to celebrate the strength and resilience of people living with and recovering from eating disorders while supporting anyone navigating a world saturated with diet and wellness messaging. Through storytelling, education and community connection, people will be encouraged to reflect on what wellness means to them and to build healthier, more compassionate relationships with food, movement and their bodies. 

The Eating Disorder Alliance encourages people in Australia to recognise BIEDAW and critically consider the health and wellbeing messages they encounter and how they may affect people’s relationships with food, movement and their bodies, while asking: who benefits from this? Whose interests are being served? 

Ways to get involved 

• ANZAED: Attend the annual ANZAED conference, Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 August 2026  
• Butterfly Foundation: Share social content and register for an upcoming webinar by heading to www.butterfly.org.au  
• Eating Disorders Queensland: EDQ will be hosting a morning tea for their community in South Brisbane, and the Brisbane Story Bridge and Victoria Bridge will light up in EDQ and BIEDAW colours during September 
• Eating Disorders Victoria: Building Your Media Literacy Toolkit free webinar – Thursday 10 September, 12:30-1:30pm. Register now. 

About BIEDAW 

Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week (BIEDAW) is a national awareness campaign dedicated to improving understanding of body image concerns, disordered eating and eating disorders, held in the first full week of September. It is led by the Eating Disorder Alliance, comprising Australia’s leading eating disorder organisations, including 

• Australia & New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders (ANZAED) 
• Butterfly Foundation 
• Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) 
• Eating Disorders Queensland (EDQ) 
• Eating Disorders Victoria (EDV) 
• National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) 

–ENDS- 

Media Contact: 

Eating Disorders Alliance E: media@eatingdisordersalliance.org.au  

Butterfly Foundation: Zoe Bradbury, Communications Manager. E: zoe.bradbury@butterfly.org.au  

Editor and producers note 

Please include the following support line details in all media coverage of this story and refer to the Mindframe Media guidelines for safe reporting on eating disorders.   

Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:   

• Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or support@butterfly.org.au     
• Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23   
• For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14