• Private XVI | Embrace •

Photo: “Embrace” / CinemaxX PR

CinemaxX kindly invited me to watch “Embrace” with a few other lovely women (best company ever to watch this movie!) on May 11. I know it’s been some time, but of course, I want to drop a few lines about the movie and what I think about it.

You all know that body positivity is my daily routine. It’s very important to me and when other women share the same message, it makes me very happy. The fact that the documentary movie “Embrace” found its way into German theaters is so amazing, even though it was very disappointing to see that in most of the cinemas who showed it, the movie was only played once on one single day. This documentary should be obligatory for young people – mainly girls, of course, but also boys. Because they also know the struggle of body shaming and self-hate. And if they don’t, they might learn an important lesson about women and how it is and feels like to live in a body that’s never good enough – until you decide for yourself to change this feeling and embrace yourself.

Long story short: In the movie, Taryn Brumfitt travels around the world to find out why women have so many issues with their bodies after living through her own story – as a mother of three kids, after giving birth to them, her body didn’t look like before anymore, so she decided to change a lot, work out hard, diet and finally end up in a body builder contest, where she eventually learned that all this isn’t really worth it and that even those supposedly “perfect” women aren’t 100% happy with themselves as well.
She visits women of all kinds around the world and we get to know their stories: there’s one with an eating disorder that left her all skin and bones, just because she doesn’t want to be “remembered as the fat girl”, another woman whose face and body was severely burned and yet she says that it might have been “the best thing that’s happened (to her)”, a woman with a beard, a woman with a muscular paralysis of her facial muscle,… So many inspiring women who actually embraced themselves, no matter what.

During interviews on the streets where she tries to find out why women can’t feel good in their own bodies, women keep always answering things like “disgusting”, “too fat” and “ugly” when asked what they think about their bodies. Women who’re apparently beautiful and have absolutely no reason to call themselves like that.

It is insane how we’ve been so manipulated that we actually believe we’re gross. That our society keeps implying that we’re not thin enough, not beautiful enough, not good enough – while they photoshop obviously “perfect” models so they end up don’t even looking like themselves anymore. It is absolutely horrifying how little girls already believe that they’re fat and have to diet because we’re taught from small up that a girl has to be pretty. And pretty means thin. Fat can never be pretty. What a shame!

“Embrace” tells a very touching story and shows very strong and wonderful women who’re amazing role models for everyone out there.
But that’s also just that one point I want to criticize: this movie is all about women. And mostly about “being thin isn’t normal” (kind of like that) – not in a “skinny shaming” way but I felt like they kind of forgot that there are skinny women who are as amazing as every other woman they showed throughout the movie. And that there’s no dieting or any other crazy shit going on behind their bodies. Skinny women are also part of diversity!
And while they even showed an amazing transgender woman, they seemed to have forgotten men. Not only those who go through the same hell as women, but also those who may have an opinion about this, some constructive input, like their husbands or boyfriends. I think it would have been helpful to also hear some men’s voices and their experiences and opinions on body positivity.

About 99% of the visitors in “my” cinema were women. And probably 80% of them were women who may have already embraced themselves or are on their way to it.
But this movie should actually reach those who finally need to hear and see that loving yourself and your body isn’t wrong. That experiencing positive feelings towards yourself is essential for happiness and satisfaction and that it will never be helpful when you hate yourself (so much that you actually cause damage to yourself!) because of your outer shell.

And as long as there are women out there feeling ugly and disgusting, I will also keep fighting. Because embracing yourself is the best thing you can do. And if you haven’t embraced yourself yet, you should start right now. ♥