The body image activist and women’s fitness brand team up to ‘change the conversation’
MELBOURNE, 24 July 2019 — Taryn Brumfitt, founder of the Body Image Movement, has been announced as an ambassador for Fernwood Fitness, Australia’s leading women-only fitness brand.
Fernwood founder Di Williams, who has been at the helm of the company since she opened the first gym in regional Victoria in 1989, said the appointment represented a new focus for Fernwood.
“Fernwood has been a trailblazer in the fitness space since we first opened 30 years ago, and we have continued to reshape and redefine what fitness and wellbeing means to women throughout the years,” said Williams.
“For too long, exercise has been perceived as a ‘punishment’, so we’ve partnered with Taryn to show women that it should really be about loving your body and feeling strong both physically and mentally.”
Brumfitt said she was thrilled to be partnering with an iconic Australian brand that has been empowering women for three decades.
“For years we’ve been bombarded with images of six-packs and ‘peach emoji’ booties as the epitome of what it means to be ‘fit’ or ‘healthy’, and it’s had really serious consequences for women’s mental health and the way they perceive their bodies,” said Brumfitt.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Fernwood to change this conversation in the fitness space.”
The Adelaide mum-of-three shot to fame in 2013 when her unconventional ‘before and after’ photo went viral on social media, viewed by more than 100 million people.
That powerful image became the catalyst for books, documentaries, online programs and educational resources – all part of Brumfitt’s global movement to help women, men and children learn to love their bodies.
Brumfitt’s ambassadorship comes as Fernwood prepares to launch their new wellness offering. From September, Fernwood clubs around Australia will run ‘Wellness Wednesdays’, a dedicated series of events designed to help women focus on their wellbeing, from yoga and Pilates to mindfulness and meditation activities.
Selected clubs will also unveil Empower, the 6-week wellness program that Fernwood has developed in conjunction with Deakin University. The program is the first of its kind to be delivered in a gym setting anywhere in the world, and covers stress management, mindfulness, values, goal setting and more.
