Taryn Brumfitt (born ) is an Australian

body positivity Body positivity is a social movement that promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Proponents focus on the appreciation of the functionality and health of the human body instea ...

advocate, writer, photographer, and filmmaker, known for founding the Body Image Movement and for her 2016 documentary film '' Embrace''. The crowdfunded film ''Embrace Kids'', intended for use in schools, was released in 2022.

Early life and education

Brumfitt was born in . She attended

Unley High School Unley High School is a public coeducational secondary school, located in the Adelaide suburb of Netherby in South Australia. It is administered by the Department of Education, with an enrolment of 1,562 students and a teaching staff of 114, as ...

in the

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

suburb of Netherby.

Career

Brumfitt was first a photographer. After the birth of her third child, she considered cosmetic surgery, as she was unhappy with the appearance of her body, but took up

body building Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

instead. Brumfitt founded the Body Image Movement in 2012. The Body Image Movement describes itself as "on a quest to end the global body-hating epidemic" and "working to put an end to body loathing and spread the message of body loving". It aims to recruit a Body Image Movement Global Ambassador Program (BIMGAP), of people who will spread its message internationally through social media and local contacts. In 2016 Brumfitt's film '' Embrace'' was released. Brumfitt gave a talk at the

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

event in Adelaide in 2016. From around 2019 the movement crowdfunded for a documentary film, ''Embrace Kids'', aimed at children aged 8-12, to make available to schools around the world. Featuring many well-known entertainers and artists, such as

Celeste Barber Celeste Barber (born 1982) is an Australian comedian and media personality. Early life and education Celeste Barber was born around 1982 and grew up in Terranora, on the far north coast of New South Wales coast. She has one sibling, a sister ...

, the duo

Electric Fields Electric Fields is an Australian electronic music duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross. Electric Fields combine modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture and sing in Pitjantjatj ...

Jameela Jamil Jameela Alia Jamil (born 25 February 1986) is an English actress, activist and presenter. She began her career on Channel 4, where she hosted a pop culture series in the ''T4 (Channel 4), T4'' strand from 2009 until 2012. She then became the ra ...

, and Chloé Hayden, the film was released in 2022, listed on IMDb as ''Embrace: Kids''.

Recognition

In September 2018 Brumfitt was named one of ''

The Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...

s 100 Women of Influence in the Global category. She was named 2023

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Government-owned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the state and territor ...

in January 2023.

Personal life

Brumfitt experienced family tragedy when her brother Jason died of a heroin overdose aged 28. She married Matt Brumfitt in 2002 or 2003. He had previously worked in logistics but gave up that career to become the managing director of the Body Image Movement. They have three children. They divorced in 2020. her partner is Tim Pearson. On 10 October 2023, Brumfitt was one of 25

Australians of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Government-owned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the state and territor ...

who signed an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

supporting the Yes vote in the Indigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatrist

Patrick McGorry Patrick Dennistoun McGorry (born 10 September 1952) is an Irish-born Australian psychiatrist known for his development of the early intervention services for emerging mental disorders in young people. Position McGorry is Professor of Youth M ...

Selected publications

* * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brumfitt, Taryn 1970s births Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian women writers Australian film directors Australian women film directors Fat acceptance activists Australian of the Year Award winners People educated at Unley High School