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You are here: Home / SELF LOVE & BODY IMAGE / Life Lately and a new Body Love event for YOU!

Life Lately and a new Body Love event for YOU!

May 9, 2019 by Molly Leave a Comment

At the beginning of the year, like every other millennial on Instagram, I did some manifesting. Having previously written off the idea of “willing” my future to happen, I was inspired to give it a go (mainly because I fancied having a colouring sesh with some of my daughter’s new Smiggle art materials).

It was a slow rainy morning in that post-Christmas, pre-New Year haze of leftovers, cheese and twinkly lights. I knew I had many plans in the pipeline for the year ahead, and I knew I’d spent the past eight months working hard behind the scenes to make stuff happen. But there was still a huge amount of “what ifs?”. And so I started to manifest – willing the universe to back me. One of the things I manifested was for the successful launch of the podcast I’d been working on. Another was for the positive reception of the TV show I’d filmed the previous summer. And another was for a series of events to help people feel better about their bodies.

Five months on and we’re coming towards the end of the first series of Body Cons, we’ve featured in the New and Noteworthy section of iTunes, featured on the top iTunes charts, gained listeners as far afield as Australia and already started recording on season two with some amazing guests.

We’ve had a great brand partnership with Natracare for the first season and are currently speaking to other brands about the second season showing that, actually, promoting positive body image and making people feel good in their skin (rather than preying on their insecurities) CAN and IS a viable way to do business. It’s brilliant that brands are waking up to the fact that there is another way – we don’t need to make people feel they’re not good enough as they are in order to push them into buying products.

So that’s the podcast.

Onto the TV show and the reception for Naked Beach has been amazing. Three episodes in and I’m getting messages every day from people who’ve watched the show and been moved by it. (If you’re enjoying it be sure to let Channel 4 know!). I’ve been on This Morning, BBC Breakfast, various national newspapers and radio stations, taking that body love message mainstream. And with next week’s Mental Health Awareness Week centred around the subject of body image, it’s a great opportunity to keep the conversation going.

Which leads me to one of the other things on my manifest list for 2019: EVENTS.

This year is proving a bountiful one on the events front. I’ve been invited to speak at various events, chaired panels, hosted my own Confidence Lab back in February with my lovely pal Charlie O’Brien. And now, I’m excited to let you know about another, intimate and very special event I’ve organised with my podwife Lottie Storey in collaboration with our Body Cons podcast for Mental Health Awareness Week.

The Body Love event is taking place in The Forge Bristol, from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 18th May.

It’s a day full of love, with talks, workshops, your own private photo shoot, food and a lovely goodie bag. This event is specifically for mums, although there’ll be others in the future for everyone. We’re donating all ticket profits to the Mental Health Foundation. The price of your ticket will allow you to bring a free plus one, female guest. Although it’s a warm, safe, friendly and intimate setting, we know that turning up to something like this on your own can be daunting, which is why we’re offering a free plus one ticket.

We’re working with acclaimed photographer Eve Hazelton on this, who specialises in photographing mothers at every stage of their journey. As an experienced birth photographer Eve is adept at putting women at ease and photographing them in their most vulnerable and powerful states, which is why we’re so excited to partner with her on this event to celebrate the female form through the female gaze. These images of me are ones that Eve took on our test shoot for the event, to give you an idea of what to expect (oh – and you’ll get to keep your photos – usually worth at least £200 on a regular studio shoot!).

The thing I love about the events side of the work I do is that it gives us a chance to connect face to face, in a way that you don’t get if you’re talking on the radio or on the telly or online. It’s a way to really meet people, have conversations and experience something TOGETHER. And when it comes to such a personal subject as body image, it makes the whole thing even more special.

As well as your session with Eve, we’ll have an opening talk from body image researcher Nadia Craddock, a talk from body positive influencer Hayley McLean, a body image workshop with coach Lisa Beasley, a live podcast with Dinah Gibbons – organiser of the world famous Bodykind Festival, and a meditation and acupressure session with Gemma David from The Quiet Heart.

So there you go. The Body Love event is going to be special. As I’m writing this we still have a couple of tickets left. And I would love to see you there.

Find out more and get your ticket here

Filed Under: SELF LOVE & BODY IMAGE Tagged With: body confidence, body image as a mum, body love, bristol events, mental health awareness week, Molly Forbes, molly forbes event, Molly Forbes Naked Beach

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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This was taken at the start of half term, when the This was taken at the start of half term, when the kids were still enthusiastic about going for a walk. 1,705 walks around the same bit of countryside later... not so much 😬 
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If you’re struggling to get your kids motivated to move their body at the moment, go gentle. You’re not alone. Bad weather coupled with boredom coupled with the lure of screens is a heady recipe for lethargy - and that’s just me! 
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Seriously though, remember: all movement is valid. Even if it’s just a ten minute @cosmickids sesh or a little kitchen disco, it all counts. And if it comes from a place of enjoyment and fun, kids (and adults!) are going to be far more likely to want to get involved.
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What joyful movement activities are your kids enjoying right now (if any?!)?
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[Image description: Molly and her two daughters are standing in a field. They’re wearing colourful wellies, holding hands and smiling.]
I founded a social enterprise 😵 . Introducing: I founded a social enterprise 😵
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Introducing: @bodyhappyorg 🎉
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We are a Community Interest Company dedicated to promoting positive body image in children. We help adults help the kids in their care be friends with their bodies 🥰. 
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Through workshops and classes, digital and physical resources (both free and paid) we help parents, carers, teachers, youth leaders - and any adults who are ever around children - create body happy settings for kids to thrive in. 
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We launch officially next month with a beautiful new website and lots of resources which we’ll continually be adding to. In the meantime give us a follow at @bodyhappyorg - we start posting from today and our page has been designed as a free resource on its own! 
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I’m privileged to work alongside an incredible team of people on this. Shout-out to the original dream team @chelseacoxstrategist @amysnellingpt @effinitupfaye @lottie_storey @bodyconfidencecards_db @rachel_hobnobs & @aceandping 💕 LOVE YOU ALL! 💕
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[Image description: A blue square with yellow and white text which reads “the body happy org”. This is the logo for The Body Happy Organisation CIC]
Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-sta Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-stained hoodie and tracksuit bottoms at least once in the past month 😐
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[Image description: Molly is wearing pink dungarees with yellow buttons over a black rollneck long-sleeved top. She has a monochrome striped hairband on and her hair is pink. She is also wearing earrings with boobs on them. She looks very pleased, both with her earrings, the pink hair and the fact she’s not wearing sleepwear, for a change.]
A new report from the Education Policy Institute h A new report from the Education Policy Institute has concluded an obvious gender divide in the well-being of young adults. If you’d like to read more check out this article by Eleanor Peake in @newstatesman (I’ve linked to it in my Stories).
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Every week I get messages from parents and teachers concerned about the impact of social media on their kids’ body image. And of course, I couldn’t write a book about body image in kids and teens without covering social media - there’s a whole chapter in Body Happy Kids dedicated to the subject. 
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The thing is, social media isn’t going anywhere. And just like it can be a force for anxiety, shame and general angst it can be a force for good too. The trick is in knowing how to use it positively (and in holding the platforms to account for not moderating the spread of harmful viral trends and online abuse, and creating algorithms that deliberately create division and harm mental health... but that’s a story for another day). 
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But how can we expect our kids to have a handle on it when we, as adults, don’t ourselves? 
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I don’t believe the answer is to ban social media, but I don’t think kids should be given unfettered access to it either. 
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They need help navigating this stuff, learning about boundaries, developing media literacy skills so they can think critically about the content they’re consuming (just like many adults).
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And we also need to explore how we might be inadvertently contributing to the problem, perpetuating appearance ideals and creating a culture where kids learn it’s ok to body shame under the guise of health and to value each other based on the way they look.
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As ever, it’s complicated. I’d love to know what you think? What are some of the boundaries you have around social media in your house - both for yourself and your kids?
#BodyHappyKids 
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When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnan When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnancy yoga class every week. It was the highlight of my week. I left each session feeling like I was floating on a cloud, and I used the poses and breath work to guide me through labour too. But then I had my baby and found that, as a knackered new mum of two, I couldn’t find the time for yoga. I no longer had the excuse of doing it “for the bump” or “to prepare for labour”, so what was the point?
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It wasn’t until I started reinvesting in myself and unravelling the diet culture perspective on exercise that I found it again, along with running, which turned to hiking, and swimming. 
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It wasn’t about preparing my body for someone or something else. It was about the process itself, the time to unwind my mind and move my body for joy, just for me. I’ve lost a bit of that this past year with lockdowns, and I feel it.
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I recently signed up to @theunderbellyyoga with @mynameisjessamyn and feel like I’m finding it again. I love that my kids can see me taking time for myself, and enjoying movement, and that they sometimes want to join in too. Even if it is a bit annoying sometimes (swipe 👀). 
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#BodyHappyMum 
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[Image description: Molly and her 6 year old daughter Effie sit on yoga and gymnastics mats with their legs crossed and arms in the air. They have their backs to the camera. In the second image they are sitting crossed legged while twisting round to the side, and in the third image Molly is lying on the mat with her eyes closed while Effie leans over her, being a bit annoying.]
Health is complicated, yet it’s so often over-si Health is complicated, yet it’s so often over-simplified on social media. “Just eat less and move more!” etc are packaged up as empowering motivational quotes, but when we look into what health actually is, and the many things that impact it, we realise that this view isn’t empowering at all. 
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Any conversation about health that doesn’t acknowledge the fact of body diversity, social determinants of health and the impact of weight stigma and all forms of discrimination on health, is not a full conversation.
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When it comes to how this makes children feel about their bodies, the impact is huge. From appearance based bullying (both online and in the playground) to confusion over how best to look after their own health, we’re not equipping kids with the tools to feel good in their bodies or be accepting of other children in bodies that may not look the way we teach kids “healthy” looks. 
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Consider this as a “starter post”, an introduction to the “But what about health?” question if you’ve not come across a weight inclusive approach to health before. If it’s useful bookmark and come back to it. And maybe even share it if you think your friends and family might benefit from it too. 
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On the last slide you’ll find a short list of further reading. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Again, just a starting point. 
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There are professors, researchers, activists, educators, doctors, public health policy makers doing important work in this area (who have been leading the charge on this for decades, before social media was even a thing), but still the mainstream view on health always seems to come down to personal responsibility arguments and the “eat less, move more” approach. Just remember, it’s complicated. ❤️
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EDIT: On the last slide I recommend the book Burn Out - apologies for a typo to author name: it is written by Emily & AMELIA Nagoski 
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