Waterford students to feature tonight on TV series promoting positive body image

In the programme Síomha: Idir Anam is Corp online personality and broadcaster Síomha Ní Ruairc will wage a war on social media, filters and body shaming which is leading to debilitating anxiety and in extreme cases suicide to ensure that young women - including herself - adopt a more accepting body image.

She is determined to start a national conversation through sharing her journey online with her followers in the hope it will promote that every young woman regardless of size, shape, gender and colour deserves to have a body that should be embraced. Her journey will be insightful, honest and occasionally some uncomfortable truths will be highlighted as she shines a light on women's experiences of body image and in particular the experiences of young women in Ireland at present. 

Before Síomha begins her journey she shares her own experiences of posting online. For example, how some of the extreme reactions she received when she posted that she was no longer going to shave her underarm hair made her not want to post anything online again and made her think negatively about something completely natural and a part of her.

In order to understand how and at what age girls in particular begin to think about their body image Síomha begins her journey in  Scoil Gharbháin, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford where she meets clinical psychologist Dr. Cáit Verling as they observe a group of 4th class girls play with a variety of dolls.

Síomha is shocked to learn that girls begin to think about body image as young as 3 and 4 years old and she wants to know what can be  done at this age to ensure girls have a more positive body image. 

Síomha decides to attend a powerful workshop to gain understanding and insight into why women feel the way they feel with regards to body image and what can be done to improve the situation. The workshop is led by Jenny Ní Ruiséil and Síomha is joined by a group of young women from around the country to have an open and honest discussion. 

Síomha opens up about her own personal experiences and understands that some of the things she did when she was younger like restricting what she ate was extremely dangerous and so she speaks to Jacinta Hastings of Bodywhys , the eating disorder association of Ireland to find out just how bad the situation is here in Ireland. She also speaks to a young woman from Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Mollaí Nic Eochaidh about the effects disordered eating has had on her life over the past few years. 

Síomha sees the positive impact women in sports are having on young women in Ireland. She speaks to boxer Christina Desmond about her experiences with body image and her approach to maintaining a healthy relationship with her body as she trains and attempts to lose weight for upcoming competitions. 

Síomha's journey also brings her closer to home where for the first time she speaks openly and honestly with her younger sister Aedín about her experiences of body image, this is an eye-opening conversation for both sisters. It is clear that even though the body image question is so central to our lives a lot of the time we can't speak about it to those closest to us.  One woman breaking the silence on this topic, someone who speaks loudly and openly about body image is a hero of Síomha's - writer and podcaster Louise McSharry. Louise talks to Síomha about the new found respect she gained for her body after her cancer diagnosis and how we need to begin thinking about what our body can do and not how it looks. 

In the programme we see Síomha turn 30 and she shares her feelings around reaching this milestone. She wants to be accepting of the natural changes that occur with age. However this is difficult when her friends and others in the public eye turn to surgery or cosmetic treatments and so she decides to inform herself about these options by speaking to Dr Meabh Ní Bhriain, a qualified clinician with Eden Clinic.

After hearing from so many inspiring people and taking advice from clinical psychologist Dr. Cáit Verling on how to tackle her own self-doubt around body image, Síomha decides to return to her secondary school Coláiste Cois Life in Dublin to find out how today's teenagers feel about body image and if anything has changed since her time at school. She is surprised by how mature today’s students are when it comes to understanding body image issues and how to deal with them. She learns that the positive influence of social media should be embraced, especially when it promotes diversity in how we look. 

While Ireland has begun to progress in terms of diversity Síomha would like to know what it was like growing up in Ireland for people who did not see themselves reflected in the images that surrounded them and with that in mind she speaks to activist, writer and broadcaster Emer O'Neill. As a PE teacher and presenter of  the series 'Keep it up' Emer also highlights the importance of sports in society, especially for young girls. 

On this journey Síomha gets the message loud and clear - sport is central to solving body image problems. However she is also aware that this journey is far from over for her. She learns that it will take hard work and self-reflection to have a positive healthy relationship with her body, but it is  meaningful and rewarding work not just for her personally but for the girls and women who come after her. Tyrone Productions for TG4