Amy stripped off and asked people to draw a heart on her body to support self-acceptance (Picture: Vimeo)
Women are making a very public stand for self-love.
On August 29, in a busy shopping area in Downtown Boise, Idaho, Amy Pence-Brown stripped down to her underwear, blind folded herself and asked strangers to draw hearts on her.
She was inspired by Jae West, a member of the The Liberators International group, which raises awareness of social issues. Jae stripped off in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, on a Saturday, last month.
They’re not doing it because they’re exhibitionists – both have struggled with self-esteem issues. They’re doing it to encourage others to love their bodies.
In response to Jae’s experiment, Amy wrote on her blog: ‘How would it be received if the woman had been less socially acceptable in appearance, like, fat? And, say, a mom who’s nearly 40-years-old? And in a place that was more conservative and less progressive than London like, say, Boise, Idaho?’
She decided to find out.
She stood in just her bra and knickers with a sign that read: ‘I’m standing for anyone who has struggled with a self-esteem issue like me, because all bodies are valuable. To support self-acceptance, draw a <3 on my body.’
She explains: ‘I was terrified. I was scared that I might get asked to leave by the police or that people would yell terrible things at me or that no one would draw a heart on my body and I’d stand there alone and crying for minutes that felt like hours.’
But, she goes on, ‘I barely had time to tie on my blindfold, prop up my sign and grab my markers before the first woman rushed up to me, touched my hand with her shaky one, told me I was brave and powerful and asked if she could give me a hug and started to cry.’
It was the first hug of many. And people didn’t just draw hearts – they wrote words too, like ‘badass’, ‘strong’ and ‘thank you’.
By the end of the day, she was covered in positive comments.
Amy says she hopes her stand for body positivity will continue to inspire others.
Because ‘all bodies are good bodies.’
Women are making a very public stand for self-love.
On August 29, in a busy shopping area in Downtown Boise, Idaho, Amy Pence-Brown stripped down to her underwear, blind folded herself and asked strangers to draw hearts on her.
She was inspired by Jae West, a member of the The Liberators International group, which raises awareness of social issues. Jae stripped off in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, on a Saturday, last month.
They’re not doing it because they’re exhibitionists – both have struggled with self-esteem issues. They’re doing it to encourage others to love their bodies.
In response to Jae’s experiment, Amy wrote on her blog: ‘How would it be received if the woman had been less socially acceptable in appearance, like, fat? And, say, a mom who’s nearly 40-years-old? And in a place that was more conservative and less progressive than London like, say, Boise, Idaho?’
She decided to find out.
She stood in just her bra and knickers with a sign that read: ‘I’m standing for anyone who has struggled with a self-esteem issue like me, because all bodies are valuable. To support self-acceptance, draw a <3 on my body.’
She explains: ‘I was terrified. I was scared that I might get asked to leave by the police or that people would yell terrible things at me or that no one would draw a heart on my body and I’d stand there alone and crying for minutes that felt like hours.’
But, she goes on, ‘I barely had time to tie on my blindfold, prop up my sign and grab my markers before the first woman rushed up to me, touched my hand with her shaky one, told me I was brave and powerful and asked if she could give me a hug and started to cry.’
It was the first hug of many. And people didn’t just draw hearts – they wrote words too, like ‘badass’, ‘strong’ and ‘thank you’.
By the end of the day, she was covered in positive comments.
Amy says she hopes her stand for body positivity will continue to inspire others.
Because ‘all bodies are good bodies.’
Metro
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