EMBRACE KIDS DOCUMENTARY

UPDATE! The film has now been funded, created and released! In cinemas across Australia and New Zealand, check your local guides. For more information on all things Embrace Kids and free body image resources, visit: www.theembracehub.com

NO CHILD SHOULD HATE THEIR BODY.... 

I'm Taryn Brumfitt, Director of Embrace the documentary and Founder of the Body Image Movement, I want to make a documentary and I need your help...

The Embrace Kids documentary is the next step in our Embrace journey. Recent studies suggest that body image is the number one issue affecting our children, and we want to be part of the solution.

The film will address why body image has become a global problem and will offer solutions to help children (8-12 years old) to foster a positive body image. Topics explored in Embrace Kids will include social media, photoshopping, diversity, role models, and the influence of media and advertising on body image.

I will be working with, and leading a team of creative, academic, and education specialists to produce a film that will positively impact students, be welcomed by parents and teachers and supported by governments, health professionals and educational institutions. The Embrace Kids documentary will have the same heart and soul as the Embrace documentary, however tailored to the younger market. Watch the Embrace documentary trailer here: 

https://.youtube.com/watch?v=__2AayArYfs

Once created, Embrace Kids will be made available to schools globally as a free resource to help teachers, community leaders, and health professionals deliver the important message of positive body image through entertaining and engaging storytelling.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Teresa Palmer, Celeste Barber, Natasha Stott Despoja.  

TARYN BRUMFITT BIO

Taryn Brumfitt is an internationally recognised keynote speaker and the fiercely passionate thought leader behind the Body Image Movement.

Best-selling author and director of the inspiring social-change documentary, Embrace, Taryn’s global crusade to end the body dissatisfaction epidemic has seen her recognised by the United Nations Women, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls and the Geena Davis Institute.

Taryn’s determination to shift the way the world thinks about themselves and their bodies has the support of many high profile personalities including Olivia Newton-John, Rosie O’Donnell, and Ashton Kutcher, who famously praised her activism as being “good for the world”.

Whether it’s becoming General Electrics’ highest rated speaker, or having her talk at Google HQ in Silicon Valley live streamed to every Google office in the world, Taryn remains humble, proud, and eager to make the biggest impact the world has ever seen on body image and self-love.

Named alongside Beyoncé and Emma Watson in Germany’s Brigitte magazine’s ‘Woman of The Year’, Taryn’s positively infectious voice and powerful message has reached over 200 million people, via the likes of the L.A Times, Washington Post, The Doctors, Good Morning America, The Project, Australian Story, The Today Show and Sunrise. Taryn was a finalist in the 2019 ‘Australian of the Year’ and 2018 ‘The Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence’ awards, and was crowned the 2018 SA winner for ‘Excellence in Women’s Leadership’.

Taryn is a proud Foundation Board member for The Hutt Street Centre. She lives in Adelaide with her three children Oliver, Cruz and Mikaela.

EMBRACE STUDY BY DR ZALI YAGER AND DR IVANKA PRICHARD

A joint study of more than 1500 adult women around the world by Flinders and Victoria Universities has proven the social impact of Taryn Brumfitt’s documentary Embrace to change women’s lives for the better.  The study by Flinders and Victoria Universities found that those who had seen the Embrace film had much higher body appreciation, and less body shame, self-objectification, and dieting – in comparison to those who hadn’t seen the film.     

Women who had seen the film were also less likely to treat their body as an object, to believe that they should be thin, and to be ashamed of their body. 

It was also found that watching the movie was seen to be more effective in changing people’s perceptions than traditional means of education that lasted 4-6 hours. These methods would usually result in a 1-2% improvement, in contrast, viewing the highly emotive film Embrace was associated with much large improvement of 7.2%. 

The study was coordinated by Dr Zali Yager, Associate Professor - Victoria University and Dr Ivanka Prichard, Senior Lecturer - Flinders University.  

 

EMBRACE KIDS RESEARCH STATEMENT – BY DR ZALI YAGER + DR IVANKA PRICHARD

Background

Body dissatisfaction affects up to 70% of children and adolescents. Longitudinal research indicates that adolescents with higher body satisfaction are more likely to engage in healthy eating and exercise, and are less likely to be overweight, smoke tobacco, and consume alcohol and illicit drugs. However, there are no evidence-based resources for 8-12 year-old children that have been effective in boys and girls, and embedded in the school curriculum.

Research Partnership

Our role in the project is to work alongside the creative team to ensure the content that is produced aligns with the evidence from the past 20 years of body image intervention research. We will advise on what to do, and what not to do, in order to improve body image among children aged 8-12 years. Our research plan (outlined below) has been designed to ensure that the film’s objective of promoting healthy body image and increased self-esteem is achieved. The combination of evidence-based practice brought together with the creative and engaging approach of film, is one that we believe will have a significant and lasting impact on the wellbeing of young children and adolescents in Australia and around the world.

Research Activities

We propose the following three phases of research to ensure that Embrace Kids is a safe and effective resource for children 8-12 years of age:

•   Working with the filmmakers to utilising the existing evidence base regarding safe and effective interventions to inform development of the film.

•   Focus groups with young people, parents, and teachers where we show them aspects of the film while in development in order to ensure that the right messages are being conveyed, and that the resource has the support of these end-user groups. 

•   A Randomised Controlled Trial of the film in Australian Primary schools to demonstrate effectiveness. This will involve a controlled trial of the full film with over 500 8-12 year olds in the school setting, using baseline and follow up measures to determine whether those children that see the film have a greater increase in positive body image compared to those who do not see the film.

Researcher Profiles

Dr Zali Yager is an Associate Professor at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. Zali has an international research reputation for her expertise in the promotion of positive body image in school settings, including evaluation of programs and content, and teacher education.

Dr Ivanka Prichard is a Senior Lecturer at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. She has a PhD in Psychology, and her research focuses on promoting positive body image and encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviours (i.e., a healthy diet and exercise) in all age groups. In particular, Ivanka has expertise in the influence of media on body image.

*The funds raised through GO FUND ME will be used to make the documentary - production crew (film/sound) editing, travel, archive footage, legal and accounting fees.