A Woman Stood in London Blindfolded in Her Underwear to Encourage Body Acceptance
"I'm standing for anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder or self-esteem issue."
Jae
West is a member of social awareness group The Liberators
International, who just did something truly incredible to promote body
acceptance. After stripping off her clothing in the middle of the busy
streets of Piccadilly Circus, she stood in her underwear, blindfolded,
with pens in her hands and a sign reading: "I'm standing for anyone who
has struggled with an eating disorder or self esteem issue like me... To
support self acceptance, draw a [heart] on my body."
Just
to restore your faith in humanity, don't worry, Jae didn't have to
stand there for hours before someone actually stepped up to the plate.
After a few minutes, someone reached out and took a pen. "The feeling of
the felt pen was on my skin was one of the most overwhelming feelings
of relief, gratitude and love that I've ever felt," wrote
Jae on her blog. "I just burst into tears."
After that first heart, others flooded in, with loads of members of the public chipping in to show their support.
Jae
says she decided to do the experiment after being inspired by Amanda
Palmer, who has previously stripped naked and allowed fans to draw on
her body. She felt "truly inspired by her vulnerability and courage," so
she chose to explore the idea herself, having been passionate about
encouraging positive body image after experiencing an eating disorder in
her teens and early twenties.
Jae now hopes that her video will
inspire others to look at their bodies more kindly and treat them with
the love and acceptance the public showed hers. She says: "If everyone
could know and appreciate how beautiful they are from childhood I think
this world would be a very different place."
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