Erin Molan: Let’s stop seeing our bodies as the next trend

Women and girls of all ages have endured moments of body image doubt but now it’s time to build a foundation of self love which will be hard to break, writes Erin Molan.

Last week I was offered an interview with one of the world’s biggest stars. This week it was pulled because their management were worried I’d bring up some ‘controversial issues’. They’d found a quote online where I’d been critical of another big star, connected to this one, for using her massive platform to glorify unhealthy weight loss.

I thanked the middle man who gave me the news and made it very clear that while I would always treat any guest with respect and never ambush, I’d also never back down from a genuinely held belief.

If this issue was raised or if it were appropriate, I would raise it and not back down. Suffice to say, it was a short conversation.

Women’s bodies are always a talking point and not just when describing the rich and famous. Too thin, too fat, too old, too much work — it’s never ending.

Womens’ bodies are under neverending scrutiny, writes Erin Molan.

I am somewhat comforted that at least these days the chorus of negative commentary is almost as loud as the voices that perpetuate the positive.

More on a couple of those later.

The headline in the New York Post this month that read ‘Bye-bye booty: Heroin chic is back’ has been widely condemned. The notion that our bodies are akin to ‘trends’ that must be changed and adapted the second a new (or in this case old) one emerges is horrifying.

The thought that anyone might see this article and feel pressure to conform is completely terrifying. What makes it all the more disturbing is that for many young, vulnerable women, and even girls, this article will do exactly that.

How do I know? Because I’ve been there.

Erin Molan with daughter Eliza in Bronte last year. Picture: Toby Zerna

I was a 16-year-old who, and back then we only really had magazines, would pour over the pages of photos of stick-thin models and see only that one body type as ‘beauty’.

It’s all that existed in the pages of the monthly rags we’d all spend our hard earned on.

We’d try to emulate their looks, their hair and their outfits, mostly unsuccessfully. It never looked the same. If there had been diversity in those spreads back then maybe I’d have had a chance. The crash diets, starving and binging — all the rest of it was common place amongst my friends.

I struggle to think back to a time where our weight wasn’t a huge focus. It was all consuming.

I remember when the push started to include different shapes and some ‘revolutionary’ editors decided not to ‘air brush’ cover stars.

It came too little too late for a generation that was completely fixated. My lack of self worth and unwavering belief that it would be improved the less I weighed was crippling for a very long time. It would end up stealing 15 years of my life.

I can’t remember a time when weight wasn’t a huge focus, writes Erim Molan.

I had some wonderful times, some great career highs and experiences, but when I look back at photos now my eyes are dull. I’m weak and unwell. I was utterly miserable.

It’s always been a battle I’ve fought privately and I guess the better you get the more comfortable you are sharing.

Having my little girl was the biggest wake up call for me. My body grew a perfect little human being and it deserved to be loved.

The way I view myself will become increasingly obvious to her the older she gets and will shape the way she feels about herself.

That’s an incredible responsibility and one that I’m committed to fulfilling to the best of my ability. She is obsessed with looking in the mirror and at this stage in her little life she adores what she sees.

It’s my job to make sure that continues for the rest of her life. Like all of us, no one’s journey in this space is perfect but it can be healthy, rational and with a foundation of self love that is hard to break.

Erin Molan wants to help her daughter with body image as she grows up. Picture: Toby Zerna

Most parents I know of girls between 10 and 18 are constantly monitoring their kids, paranoid that something might be awry.

It’s a genuine concern for a lot of people and this is why.

Almost a third of adolescents in this country engage in disordered eating behaviours in any given year.

Covid lockdowns saw an increase in eating disorders. Research shows higher numbers of Australians with body image concerns, more restrictive eating and bingeing, not helped of course by exposure to millions of doctored and filtered images of unrealistic beauty and body standards on social media. It’s a minefield.

Former Perth radio host Heidi Anderson is the kind of woman I wish was around when I was a teenager.

Former radio host Heidi Anderson

She has struggled with body image and self worth for most of her life but is reclaiming ‘her power’ as she calls it. Look it’s probably not the way I’d put it but in this space fraught with danger I’m a big believer in ‘whatever works’.

It’s exposure therapy on a whole new level and she’s the kind of beautiful role model you should introduce to your teenage girls.

They love social media, so tell them to look her up. She’s a hell of a lot more inspiring than some of the other ‘celebrities’ that seem to fill this space — and do far more damage than good.