“Everyone has value” Deputy mayor promotes ‘body positivity’

MELKSHAM’S newly-elected deputy mayor, cllr Hayley Illman, has shared an image of herself to help encourage others to feel more positive about their bodies.

The photo of Hayley, taken by artist Emilie Giotti, was used at an exhibition held in Bristol last week titled ‘We Are One of a Kind’ as part of celebrations for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Having previously struggled with body image and self-esteem issues, Hayley has said that the photoshoot has helped give her back control of her body and a new sense of confidence about how she looks.

Speaking to Melksham News, Hayley explained, “I’ve never done anything like this before – it was weird! But it was a great experience, it made me realise that I am still me, regardless of how much my body has changed over the years. That I still can do and be everything that I want to do and be, and so can anyone else.

“I spent my entire twenties yo-yo dieting because it was always fed into me that if you weren’t this specific weight you were unhealthy, you were going to die an early death, you wouldn’t be perceived as the best version of you – and it’s got nothing to do with that.

“After being pregnant and having a child my body changed completely – my body served another purpose and I felt very detached from it – I suffered terribly from post-natal depression and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder as a result of that, which is something that I have had to come to terms with and live with.

“On a personal level, the photoshoot for me was about realising that I still have control of my body, that this has not been taken from me, which is something that I felt for a long time. It’s a terrible way of looking at childbirth and becoming a parent, but that’s how my mind took it – that my body was not my own any more, that it didn’t belong to me. And that’s not the case.

“My body has been through a lot – it has carried me for 34 years of my life, it has sustained and recovered from trauma – and it is still here. I can walk, I can move, I can run after my child – there are so many people that can’t do that and are still living their lives. Why am I hating my body for everything it can do? I should be appreciating it for everything it can.

“It’s about learning to accept what I have and learning to live with that – it’s a part of me, but it’s not all of me. I can still achieve everything I want.

“The photoshoot has helped me to get my confidence back, confidence that I always used to have. Throughout my years of dieting I never actually hated my body, I was doing what society was telling me what I should do. I’m sure there are so many people that can relate to that.”

Hayley’s story and news of the exhibition went national last week when the BBC shared Hayley’s image on their news website – attracting a huge amount of attention for the deputy mayor.

“Since the BBC picked up the story, I’ve realised that it’s about something so much more than my own personal journey and acceptance,” said Hayley. “It’s about recognising that all bodies have value. And people seeing my image as motivation and inspiration for them to go out and take that brave step that they are too scared to do – that’s amazing.

“Body positivity is about awareness and acceptance of people as people and not looking at how valid they are to be in society based purely on the way they look – and that’s everything like shape, size, ethnicity, disability, abilities – it’s about tolerance and acceptance and allowing people to be themselves. Everyone has value.

“A lot of it stems from diet culture and social media perceptions of the ideal body and your worth as a body shape. People are continually fed this perception that they are not worthy or valid, or allowed to be part of society unless they fit this ideal, which is entirely not the case. You are more than your physical appearance, you have more to offer.

“Hopefully this image also shows others like me that they have representation, that they are not alone in this, they  are not the only person that looks like this or feels like this. They can do everything that anyone else can do.

“That’s the biggest message I hope people take away, that you are more than just the one thing that is overriding you. If you have depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues – you are more than just that one label.”