Butterfly Body Bright - Mt Ridley
2021, saw the introduction of the Butterfly Body Bright program through the Health and Wellbeing Program in Years 3 - 6. All Mt Ridley Primary staff have had the opportunity to have professional development in this program and we are very excited this year to be able to offer it to our students across all year levels.
The Body Bright program is firstly a program that is about promoting healthy self-body image, however, unlike some programs it goes beyond just talking about body image – it challenges both students and educators to consider the language we use every day that could negatively impact self-thought on body image. It asks us to be critical in our thinking and our viewing habits and become aware of both deliberate an incidental subliminal messaging that can affect our personal thoughts on body image.
Each letter in the word BRIGHT stands for:
Brave in our bodies – aims to promote positive social interactions and empower students to stand up for themselves and seek help.
Resilient in our bodies - encourages resilience to influences that may have a negative impact on body image, in particular the media.
Inclusive in our bodies - to celebration of diversity in appearance.
Grateful for our bodies - to promote celebration of their unique qualities and strengths, beyond appearance, celebrate what the body allows them to do, and to practice self-compassion.
Happy in our bodies – bodies come in all different shapes and sizes, and that healthy does not mean jumping from diet to diet and going to a gym. We empower movement for enjoyment and celebration.
Thoughtful for our bodies – be aware of how social media and different media influence us in different ways. Be mindful of what we are watching and listening to on social media and what we are reading.
We encourage you to visit BodyImageTipsForParents.pdf (butterfly.org.au) for tips on what you can do as a parent to continue encouraging positive body image in your child(ren).
How we view ourselves is becoming more and more linked into our immediate and long-term wellbeing and mental health. We are optimistic that with both this program as well as changing our everyday language, we will go a long way in assisting with this.