{"id":98412,"date":"2014-05-30T10:00:18","date_gmt":"2014-05-30T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=98412"},"modified":"2014-05-30T15:30:51","modified_gmt":"2014-05-30T20:30:51","slug":"5-films-about-body-image-everyone-should-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/05\/5-films-about-body-image-everyone-should-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Films About Body Image Every Man and Woman Should Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Body image is a tricky subject. It&#8217;s something we deal with every day, whether we realize it or not. &#8220;Do I look ok in these pants?&#8221; &#8220;Wow, she&#8217;s gotten thin.&#8221; &#8220;He has great muscles, why don&#8217;t mine look like that?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We have <strong><a title=\"fight fat talk\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/05\/quit-the-fat-talk-youre-not-doing-yourself-any-favors\/\">thoughts like these<\/a><\/strong> so many times per day, we barely even notice any more. Even those who normally have great body image can catch themselves having negative thoughts about their bodies, or someone else&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to remind us that you can be happy and healthy without being supermodel thin or bodybuilder built. Here are five films that we think are worth your time to watch.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/embrace\/embrace-the-documentary-that-will-create-global-ch\/widget\/video.html\" height=\"450\" width=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Embrace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though this documentary isn&#8217;t out yet, we were inspired by Taryn Brumfitt&#8217;s story and her now infamous non-traditional &#8220;before and after&#8221; photo. In it, the before image is Taryn during a fitness competition, the very picture of a &#8220;perfect body,&#8221; but unhappy with how she looked. The after photo is her today, less &#8220;fit&#8221; but much happier.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>&#8220;The day I learned to unconditionally love my body was the day I became unstoppable.&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DietsInReview\/status\/472475759383437312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">&lt;&#8211; CLICK TO TWEET THIS QUOTE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After making that realization, she decided to create a positive body image movement and share it through, among other channels, a documentary she&#8217;s crowdfunding on Kickstarter, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/embrace\/embrace-the-documentary-that-will-create-global-ch\" target=\"_blank\">Embrace<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"taryn embrace\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/05\/5-films-about-body-image-everyone-should-watch\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98420\" alt=\"taryn\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/taryn.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/taryn.jpg 700w, https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/taryn-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><object id=\"flashObj\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http:\/\/download.macromedia.com\/pub\/shockwave\/cabs\/flash\/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\"><param name=\"flashVars\" value=\"videoId=22212406001&amp;linkBaseURL=www.bbcamerica.com%2Fvideos%2Fbbc-america-reveals-super-skinny-me%2F&amp;playerID=1363944211001&amp;playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAA-dDLCk~,siZIgFdU3jN0sb7lGOrT158rVROOaX61&amp;domain=embed&amp;dynamicStreaming=true\" \/><param name=\"base\" value=\"http:\/\/admin.brightcove.com\" \/><param name=\"seamlesstabbing\" value=\"false\" \/><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"swLiveConnect\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"src\" value=\"http:\/\/c.brightcove.com\/services\/viewer\/federated_f9?isVid=1&amp;isUI=1\" \/><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"videoId=22212406001&amp;linkBaseURL=www.bbcamerica.com%2Fvideos%2Fbbc-america-reveals-super-skinny-me%2F&amp;playerID=1363944211001&amp;playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAA-dDLCk~,siZIgFdU3jN0sb7lGOrT158rVROOaX61&amp;domain=embed&amp;dynamicStreaming=true\" \/><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"swliveconnect\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"pluginspage\" value=\"http:\/\/www.macromedia.com\/shockwave\/download\/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash\" \/><embed id=\"flashObj\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"http:\/\/c.brightcove.com\/services\/viewer\/federated_f9?isVid=1&amp;isUI=1\" flashVars=\"videoId=22212406001&amp;linkBaseURL=www.bbcamerica.com%2Fvideos%2Fbbc-america-reveals-super-skinny-me%2F&amp;playerID=1363944211001&amp;playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAA-dDLCk~,siZIgFdU3jN0sb7lGOrT158rVROOaX61&amp;domain=embed&amp;dynamicStreaming=true\" base=\"http:\/\/admin.brightcove.com\" seamlesstabbing=\"false\" allowFullScreen=\"true\" swLiveConnect=\"true\" allowScriptAccess=\"always\" flashvars=\"videoId=22212406001&amp;linkBaseURL=www.bbcamerica.com%2Fvideos%2Fbbc-america-reveals-super-skinny-me%2F&amp;playerID=1363944211001&amp;playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAA-dDLCk~,siZIgFdU3jN0sb7lGOrT158rVROOaX61&amp;domain=embed&amp;dynamicStreaming=true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" swliveconnect=\"true\" pluginspage=\"http:\/\/www.macromedia.com\/shockwave\/download\/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\" \/><\/object><\/p>\n<p><strong>Super Skinny Me<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Going the complete opposite direction is <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbcamerica.com\/videos\/bbc-america-reveals-super-skinny-me\/\" target=\"_blank\">Super Skinny Me<\/a><\/strong>, a documentary mini-series from the BBC. Filmed in 2026, it follows the journeys of two journalists as they &#8220;race to size zero&#8221; by following the <strong><a title=\"celebrity diet books\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/03\/celebrity-diet-and-fitness-book-round-up\/\">diet and exercise tricks of popular celebrities<\/a><\/strong>. It&#8217;s hard to watch at times as the two spiral out of control, encountering some serious health problems. It&#8217;s a needed harsh reminder that extreme dieting and exercising for thinness do more harm than good. You can find this documentary on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/90666405?portrait=0&amp;color=ffffff\" height=\"337\" width=\"600\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Illusionists<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As of April 2026 this documentary was in post-production, so hopefully it will be available for viewing soon. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/theillusionists.org\/hello\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Illusionists<\/a><\/strong> takes a hard look at the images we are given through advertising and mass media. As the filmmakers point out, sex sells, but insecurity sells even more, meaning advertisers can exploit body hatred for profit. The film also looks at how perceptions of physical attractiveness can affect everything from how we try to look to our overall success in life.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/film.missrepresentation.org\/player\/\" height=\"440\" width=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Miss Representation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ve likely heard of this one. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/film.missrepresentation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Miss Representation<\/a><\/strong> was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival in 2026 and hasn&#8217;t lost steam since. This documentary takes a look at how women are portrayed in the media from the impossible standards of Photoshopped ads to the under-representation of intelligent women or those in positions of power. Miss Representation certainly tackles body image issues, but it&#8217;s just one of many covered in the film. You can see Miss Representation on a variety of video platforms.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xn1yyW83C1A?rel=0\" height=\"450\" width=\"600\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Disfigured<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though not a documentary like the other films on the list, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.disfiguredmovie.com\/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">Disfigured<\/a><\/strong> takes a unique look at how we perceive ourselves and others. It&#8217;s the story of two women &#8212; one overweight and one a recovering anorexic &#8212; who join a Fat Acceptance Group for similar reasons, albeit from different perspectives. It&#8217;s a movie that delves into territory we don&#8217;t often see from anything but documentaries, which is why we thought it should be included our list of films worth watching.<\/p>\n<p><em>Video from: BBC America, missrepresentation.org, theillusionists.org,disfiguredmovie on YouTube, kickstarter.com<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Also Read:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"photoshopped music video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/02\/image-and-identity-new-music-video-asks-if-we-should-combine-the-two\/\">Image and Identity: New Music Video Asks if We Should Combine the Two<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"body image campaign\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/10\/im-beautiful-the-way-i-am-new-nyc-campaign-targets-girls-and-body-image\/\">&#8220;I&#8217;m Beatiful the Way I Am.&#8221; &#8211; New NYC Campaign Targets Girls and Body Image<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"body image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/11\/10-things-you-hate-about-you\/\">10 Things <em>You<\/em> Hate About You<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Body image is a tricky subject. It&#8217;s something we deal with every day, whether we realize it or not. &#8220;Do I look ok in these pants?&#8221; &#8220;Wow, she&#8217;s gotten thin.&#8221; &#8220;He has great muscles, why don&#8217;t mine look like that?&#8221; &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/05\/5-films-about-body-image-everyone-should-watch\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,58],"tags":[817,126,4848,2186,2963,74],"class_list":["post-98412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mens-health","category-womens-health","tag-body-image","tag-dieting","tag-exercise","tag-media","tag-movie","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98412"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98415,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98412\/revisions\/98415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}