While the message underpinning body image advocate Taryn Brumfitt's selection as the 2023 Australian of the Year may not have immediately resonated with some people, the truth is it that it is a very important one.
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Ms Brumfitt, who achieved international attention after posting "before and after" body pictures on social media a decade ago, wants people to feel comfortable in their own skin regardless of what shape or size they might be. What made her post so unusual was that the before picture displayed a toned body builder's physique. The after photo showed a curvier body reshaped by age and childbirth.
Her message was simple. "Be loyal to your body, love your body. It's the only one you've got".
Ms Brumfitt went on to create two documentaries and write four books advocating body image acceptance.
The fact that one of her documentaries, Embrace, has been seen by millions in 190 countries is proof of how her insights have resonated with others. Billions of people battle to overcome the debilitating effects of a negative self-image every day.
These can include depression and anxiety, life threatening eating disorders and social isolation.
Young people in particular are constantly being bombarded by imagery telling them the key to happiness is the perfection of the flawed instrument their consciousnesses inhabit.
This creates an unhealthy psychological tension often reinforced by the negative reactions of others, schoolyard bullying in the case of adolescents whose bodies are undergoing profound changes at a time when they are psychologically vulnerable, and the subtle - and not so subtle - process of body shaming.
This mental distress can manifest itself in eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia and even drive people to take their own lives out a profound sense of inadequacy.
So this is not a trivial issue. While it affects most if not all of us at some point in our lives, the problem is particularly prevalent among the young. A 2021 Mission Australia study found almost one in two girls and gender diverse people aged between 15 and 19 were either concerned or very concerned about their body image. The figure for young males was almost one in seven.
Ms Bumfitt's fellow Australian of the Year award recipients are all equally deserving of the acknowledgement they received.
Senior Australian of The Year Tom Calma is also the ACT's Senior Australian of the Year. He was recognised for his dedication to human rights and the Voice.
The Race Discrimination Commissioner from 2004 to 2009, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner from 2004 to 2010, Dr Calma has long been at the forefront of the debate over social equity and Indigenous recognition.
He was the co-author of a seminal report on the Voice presented to the federal government in 2021.
His speech, reproduced in today's edition, was a powerful argument in favour of the Voice. He noted older Australians were going to be targeted by misinformation and malice from opponents of the constitutional change.
It would be remiss not to recognise the good works of the Young Australian of the Year, Socceroo and "Barefoot to Boots" founder Awer Mabil and of Australia's Local Hero, Amar Singh.
Mr Singh's Turbans 4 Australia charity has been widely recognised for the work it has done during the bushfires, COVID and the recent floods. It has also raised the profile of Australia's Sikh community.
Well done and thank you all for your efforts.
You have made Australia proud.
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