Womens Health Australia September 2017

THE BODY

PART (BY

PERCENTAGE)

YOU THINK

NEEDS MORE

PROMINENCE

IN MEDIA AND

SOCIAL MEDIA

In-between body sizes

Post-baby

Differently abled

Small-breasted and plus size

Post-weight loss

Busty and plus size

Athletic

Petite

Tall

62

47

44

35

34

33

32

31

29

Snezana Markoski, 36, is mum to

12-year-old Eve. She met fiance Sam

Wood on The Bachelor – they’re

expecting a baby girl this year

“It’s about

accepting I have

flaws and not

being afraid to let

people know that,

but also owning

that you’re f**king

awesome anyway,

imperfections

and all. I’m more

confident with my

body now than

I ever have been

• it’s changing
  every day, and
  I’m just embracing
  it. As parents it’s
  our responsibility
  to ensure we are
  positive role
  models and that
  we’re not obsessed
  with body image.
  It’s important to
  Sam and me that
  Eve (and baby #2)
  adopt a healthy
  balanced attitude
  towards nutrition
  and body image
  without being
  obsessive.”
  #NakedIn
  ThreeWords:
  Round, imperfect,
  beautiful.

“It’s about accepting

I have flaws”

“I’m so grateful to have

a healthy body”

Actor Jessica Marais, 32, is a mum

of one and stars in The Wrong Girl

season 2, coming soon to TEN

“Confidence is

celebrating and

accepting the able

body that means

I can dance, run,

swim and climb – a

combination of all

these things makes

me feel confident

and empowered

as a woman. I still

care about the

external, however

I’m so grateful to

have a healthy

body now. I’m

learning to accept

all the bits that

come with having

a beautiful child

(cellulite!). Sure,

I don’t love it,

but I’ve learnt to

accept it. It’s all

worth it for getting

to be a parent.”

#NakedIn

ThreeWords:

Grateful,

getting-older,

growing.

A new mantra has

gained traction in

the past few years:

‘Every body is a bikini

body’. But despite

that simple but

mind-blowing phrase,

a large majority of

Aussie women (78

per cent) are still

squeamish about

wearing a two-piece,

according to our

poll. And that was

true in every single

country surveyed.

(South Africa had the

fewest women feeling

confident at 15 per

cent and Greece had

the most – at only 31

per cent.) What is it

about this scrap of

fabric that’s so fear-

inspiring? “Asking

women if they feel

confident in a bikini is

like asking if they feel

good walking down

the street naked – you

can have great self-

esteem and not feel

good in a bikini,”

says Gruys. (Case in

point: when asked,

‘Do you think you’re

beautiful?’ 63 per cent

of our readers said

yes.) “I’m not afraid to

show my body off to

my partner, but being

exposed in a bikini is a

much more vulnerable

experience,” says

Rebecca, 29. And it

goes without saying

that a bikini lays it all

out there, including

stomachs, which our

research shows is the

body part women feel

most insecure about

(more on that later).

The thing is, a whole

lot goes through our

minds when we’re at

the beach – not all

of it nice. Schilling

explains, “Social

comparison is natural

but damaging. We

focus on the things

we like about other

women’s bodies and

what we dislike about

ours.” Her tip? Keep

your internal talk in

line with how you

actually feel. “Start

using language like

‘I accept my body.

This is me and I love

who I am’, rather than

‘I look great in a bikini’,

which you might not

actually believe.”

Bikini fears

BOTTOMS

UP!

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