Join Butterfly for a Summer of Kindness
Whether it’s diet culture telling us to lose weight and tone up for the New Year, warmer weather meaning less clothes and more attention on the body, or increased socialising around festive season events, navigating this time of year can be tricky for anyone.
It’s especially difficult for anyone experiencing body image issues or an eating disorder.
That’s why we’re campaigning for an alternative message – to be kind to our bodies and others’ this summer.
You can pay it forward by donating to Butterfly. Help us support people experiencing body image issues and eating disorders at this time of the year.
Stay tuned to Butterfly’s socials for tips and advice from lived experience, experts and Summer of Kindness champions
Did you know?
- Summer can increase feelings of body dissatisfaction, and stressful life events and social stressors have been shown to predict eating disorder relapse. [1]
- Summer can increase the severity of eating disorders, with a statistically significant increase in hospital admissions of patients with eating disorders during the summer months. [2]
- Nearly a third of women say they avoid wearing a swimsuit in public due to concerns about their weight. [3]
- Approximately 70% of sexual minority men experience seasonal body image, with summer observed as a peak time for body dissatisfaction. [4]
- Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders are on the rise, and the need for Butterfly’s evidence-informed support has never been higher.
“We’re bombarded with advertising and content that revolves around weight loss or tells us we need to get ‘summer ready,’ as if the body we occupy for the rest of the year is now suddenly not good enough for the warmer months. For someone with existing body image issues this can be particularly distressing and ignite or reaffirm feelings of body dissatisfaction.” – Melissa Wilton, Head of Communications & Engagement
What can you do?
- Remember that every body is a summer body
- Give yourself or your loved one a break – social activities can be challenging for someone with lived experience of a body image issue or eating disorder
- Set boundaries – avoid talk about appearance, body size, shape or weight – even positive comments can be problematic for people at risk
- Spring clean your socials – mute and unfollow people that don’t make you feel good about yourself or your body, or that don’t celebrate body diversity
- Ditch New Year’s resolutions around changing your body, weight or your appearance
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Know that Butterfly is here with support and referrals for you, your loved ones, and friends. Donate to keep our work alive.
DONATE – For people with eating disorders and body image concerns, this isn’t the most wonderful time of year. Help Butterfly support people with eating disorders and body image concerns during this difficult time. The more funding we have, the more we can help. Please support Butterfly TODAY by making a DONATION.
How your donations make a difference
- $50 could assist our National Helpline counsellors develop resources to support individual and family recovery.
- $90 can fund an educator/other professional working with young people to attend a professional workshop (prevention/early intervention).
- $100 could fund an online support group for carers assisting a loved one experiencing an eating disorder
- $500 could fund an evidence-informed, age-appropriate session to students in a secondary school, promoting positive body image.
- $750 could provide a parent seminar to a school/sporting organisation.
- $1,500 could fund 4 individuals to attend a free 60-to-90-minute online consultation session with a psychologist while they await treatment.
- $2,000 could provide assistance for a socio-economically disadvantaged family to travel from interstate to Wandi Nerida, to take part in family therapy for their loved one during their residential treatment.
- $5,000 could sponsor a whole of community program including professional training for those working with young people, a parent information seminar, and sessions for schools (years 5 to 12).
FUNDRAISE – Hold a fundraising event at home, at a venue, in a park, at your school or even your workplace to raise awareness and funds to support Butterfly’s important services to help all people with body image issues or eating disorders, this Summer of Kindness and beyond.
SUPPORTER PAGE – A simple way to show your support and get involved in Butterfly’s Summer of Kindness campaign is to create a JustGiving supporter page to raise funds and awareness for Butterfly. You can set up a profile and include information about Butterfly and the campaign, why you have chosen to support us, photos, videos, event updates and keep a tally of how much you raise. Your supporter page can be easily shared among friends, family and work colleagues via social media for them to make donations to help reach your target.
- Expression of interest to fundraise
- Fundraising contact: elizabeth.herd@butterfly.org.au
SHOP MERCHANDISE – Purchase a gift or resources from our SHOP, with the proceeds going towards supporting people with eating disorders and body image concerns.
If you are interested in finding out more about our Summer of Kindness campaign or our Support Services, please connect with the following people:
Media Enquiries
butterflyPR@edelman.com
Fundraising and Events
elizabeth.herd@butterfly.org.au
Lived Experience Case Studies & Sharing Your Story
kate.mulray@butterfly.org.au
- [1] Griffiths S, Cowley-Court T, Austen E, Russo-Batterham D, Blake K. “Spring is the best time to lose weight”: Evidence that dieting is seasonal and reaches peak intensity during Spring. Body Image. 2022 Jun;41:406-416. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.04.011. Epub 2022 May 5. PMID: 35526351. Accessed online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360427718_Spring_is_the_best_time_to_lose_weight_Evidence_that_dieting_is_seasonal_and_reaches_peak_intensity_during_Spring
- [2] Liang, CS., Chung, CH., Tsai, CK. et al. Seasonality of hospital admissions and birth dates among inpatients with eating disorders: a nationwide population-based retrospective study. Eat Weight Disord 23, 233–240 (2018).
- [3] Frederick DA, Peplau LA, Lever J. 2006. The swimsuit issue: Correlates of body image in a sample of 52,677 heterosexual adults. Body Image. Dec;3(4):413-9. Accessed online: https://peplau.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2017/07/Frederick_Peplau_Lever_2006.pdf
- [4] Griffiths, S. et al. 2021. Beach body ready? Shredding for summer? A first look at “seasonal body image”. Body Image. June 37:269-281. Accessed online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33756298/
