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Body Image Archives

@thebodyimagearchives

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Archive chronicling our understandings of body image.
Founded by @kittyunderhillx
Donate to the archive ⬇️

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2 years ago

We need a new way of thinking about body image.

From the watering down of the body positivity movement to the rise of Ozempic, it’s clear that our collective body image is in crisis.

This crisis is not new - it’s cyclical. Many of us who are seeing the shift back to ‘thin is in’ have lived this trend back in the early 00s, and those before us will have experienced this in the 70s and 80s.

We know that negative body image is detrimental to us and our wellbeing. However, not only does the cycle persist, but sometimes, we are active agents in its perpetuation.

So the question is, how do we break the bad body image cycle?

Enter The Body Image Archives.

The Body Image Archives is a project that will chronicle and archive the media that has informed our body image over time. The project’s aims are to understand the how, where and why of beauty standards, what they mean for our individual and collective body image, and how we can resist them.

Our feelings about our bodies do not emerge from nowhere. This project will contextualise body image within the wider societal framework by addressing the systemic forces that shape the understanding of our bodies. This is so we can expand our notions of – and do away with – our current hyper-individualistic, white, cisgender, slim, able-bodied-centric mainstream narrative of body image.

The goal of The Body Image Archives is to help us see body image through a multidisciplinary, intersectional lens, so that we can investigate the roots of negative body image, as well as challenge and explore societal constructions of bodies. By becoming better equipped to spot the narratives created about bodies, we can become better informed to push back against beauty standards, no matter how much they shift and change around us.

This exploration was made possible by @aceagrams by @thebodyimagearchives

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2 years ago

Our latest submission to the archive is the product that changed the way the global collective relates to their bodies, and was the catalyst for the development for this archive.

Now a commonplace item to find in the fridge, GLP-1s have taken the world by storm and the growth in consumption shows no signs of slowing down.

It is in this global context where dramatic weight loss is so widely available, and education about bodies has gone backwards, how do we build body image resilience and positive body images for ourselves in an increasingly fatphobic world?

Thank you to anon for this submission! by @thebodyimagearchives

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18 days ago

What a truly wonderful first life drawing class with @claude_knight as our model!

Not only did we have absolute beginners in the class but also had the PLEASURE of live screen printing courtesy of @emelialavenderstudio!

Life drawing is one of the few places where we get to be present with and celebrate the human body and this evening was exactly that - a celebration.

Thank you so much @thekingsheadn8 for hosting us!

More life drawing events to come, watch this space ✨ by @thebodyimagearchives

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a month ago

We are very lucky to have model and DJ extraordinaire @claude_knight as our model for our first life drawing session!

Come along to our first life drawing session a week today to draw, play, and be with the beauty that is the human form ✨

Lynk in b10 to get your ticket - or even better, get a FREE ticket once you submit to the archive (lynk also where you find links).

Excited to see you there!! by @thebodyimagearchives

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a month ago

We need our body acceptance spaces again if we’re going to fight back against the cultural onslaught of body negativity - that’s why I’m hosting a life drawing class with @thebodyimagearchives on 15th September at @thekingsheadn8

If you’d like a free ticket to this event or any future event, make a submission to the archive via the lynk in my bio and drop me a message when you’ve completed it.

Hope to see you there friends!

🔍 body image body acceptance art class self love events London by @thebodyimagearchives

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2 months ago

Narratives are some of the most powerful ways we learn about bodies - not just our own bodies, but bodies unlike our own as well. These narratives are so prevalent in the media, and we most often than not internalise those messages unconsciously.

This is why learning about narratives is SO important - once we equip ourselves with the knowledge to spot them, we can challenge them and take their power away.

Special thank you to @splitbananaaa - I took their Inclusive RSE training and their work on body image and narratives is fantastic.

What narratives have you spotted in the media about bodies? by @thebodyimagearchives

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2 months ago

Beauty standards have been hurting us since at LEAST 1597 and honestly I wish I could go back in time and give that 14 year old a hug. But also - what’s changed? Beauty standards still have a huge pressure on us - it’s time we learn to break the cycle.

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Body image | Beauty Standards | Body Positivity | History | Archive by @thebodyimagearchives

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2 months ago

Excited to announce our next event - life drawing at @thekingsheadn8!

We want to open up more spaces to celebrate bodies, and life drawing is one of the best places to do it.

No matter whether you’re a seasoned artiste or an absolute beginner, you’re absolutely welcome. It’s all about creating, playing, and being present with bodies in a way that fills your cup ✨ by @thebodyimagearchives

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2 months ago

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4 months ago

I spend a lot of time in charity shops looking for items to add to @thebodyimagearchives and today’s find was absolutely hilarious and now i’m regretting not picking it up!!!!

Diet culture is dangerous but it’s also inherently nonsensical because what do you mean this woman got a BOOK DEAL to publish this absolute rubbish?? Hilarious.

The archives are currently looking for submissions and we’re looking for your experiences of body image. This digital archive is compiling our experiences told through artefacts like books, films, pieces of media, even original artwork! Lynk in my b10 for more info ✨

(and if you’re looking for more nonsense found in charity shops you should absolutely follow @alittlemegh) by @thebodyimagearchives

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5 months ago

Jillian Michaels’ ‘30 Day Shred’
Lionsgate, 2009

“I first saw Jillian Michaels on a gossip live journal posts about the weight loss show she was a judge on, The Biggest Loser. I would wait till my family house was empty and put The 30 Day Shred DVD on. I would use bags of flour and oats as weights, scolding myself when I couldn’t do push ups or planks or when I got out of breath from following a HIIT routine meant for adults, not a teenage girl. The dvd became a tool I used whenever I felt I’d done something wrong with my body - eaten too much, moved too little - or when I was bullied for being bigger than my friends. If I just tried hard enough, I could control my growing body, just like Jillian and the woman who exercised alongside her did. I realised recently that, even after my relationship with my body improved, I held onto the DVD for far too long. A ‘Break in Emergency’ item, in case I ever needed it.”

“Largely, I aim to feel body neutral - I haven’t got a great relationship with my body, so feeling neither strongly or negatively about it is an achievement in itself. But I feel good in my body when I move in a way that feels mindful - long walks, yoga, Pilates, weights, dancing - and grounds me in my body, rather than assessing it from a distance.”

Bridie, Yorkshire by @thebodyimagearchives

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5 months ago