Are these two in love? Michael and Nina from the Bachelor in Paradise

Do you love your body?

Is it just me or does everyone agree happiness has nothing to do with the size of your bum?

I am a very big woman. I am six foot tall and invariably the largest girl in every photo, in every room probably.  I have always hated it.

The only place I have ever felt normal was in Africa where tall women with big bums run the show.

I have spent way too much time apologising to my beautiful daughters for passing on a ‘rotten’ set of genes.

This week, I had my head turned.  I saw the movie Embrace, the story of South Australian former body builder Taryn Brumfitt.

Taryn made world headlines a couple of years ago when she posted a ‘before’ photo online, featuring herself on stage in a bikini, looking very trim and muscular.  Her ‘after’ photo was naked, carrying baby weight.  Taryn says it ‘broke people’s brains’ to be told she was happier in the second photo.

Taryn still runs marathons and works out in the gym but she loves food and refuses to stress about her weight.    She is a lot heavier than she used to be but Taryn looks healthy and beautiful.

Her documentary ‘Embrace’ introduces us to women from all over the world who have body issues.  Some have suffered terrible injuries, some are overweight, we meet a bearded lady and an incredibly beautiful so-called plus size model.  They have all learned to love themselves unconditionally. We also meet a woman who is literally starving herself to death.

We can’t all look the same.  The Hollywood ideal is photo-shopped and anyone still on the catwalk past the age of 20 probably hasn’t eaten since last Tuesday.  It’s no way to live.

More than 90 per cent of women report being unhappy with their bodies yet only five per cent of women in the whole world naturally possess the type of body we see portrayed in the media.

It’s a growing problem for men too, around 45 percent of men report being unhappy with their bodies, compared with just 15 per cent 25 years ago.

We know it’s crazy.  If your friend asks you, ‘Do I look good in this?’ you say ‘Yes!  You look beautiful.’ Because she does.  But we never say it to ourselves.

More recently we have learned to hate food, yet preparing and sharing food is one of the simplest and most beautiful acts of love there is.

The truth is, you are not too fat.  You are not too thin.  You are not too tall or too short.  Your bum is not too big, nor does it need implants .  Your face is a lifetime achievement and your hair is just the right colour.  I promise you.

If you want to watch Embrace (and you do), it costs ninety nine cents on iTunes.

Caroline xx