Dylan Alcott shares moving advice for 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt
Dylan Alcott has offered advice to body image positivity activist Taryn Brumfitt after she was crowned Australian of the Year 2023.
The Paralympian, who was last year’s Australian of the Year, offered moving words to the 44-year-old activist after she was crowned Australia’s best woman on Wednesday night.
“First of all, be yourself. I still don’t know why I’m Australian of the Year, but there’s a reason,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
Dylan Alcott (pictured) has given moving advice to 2023 Aussie of the Year Taryn Brumfitt
“Two, enjoy it. And third, it’s not just about you. It’s about amplifying the voices of your passion and the people you care about in your community.’
Taryn was named Australian of the Year 2023 at a glittering ceremony in Canberra for her work with the Embrace Body Image Movement, which she founded in 2012.
Teaching people – especially young women – to love and appreciate their bodies, the movement has spread far beyond her hometown of Adelaide, sparking a global phenomenon that has reached more than 200 million people.
The Paralympian, who was last year’s Australian of the Year, shared heartwarming words with Taryn (pictured) after being crowned Australia’s Best Woman on Wednesday night
Ms Brumfitt is one of Australia’s most in-demand keynote speakers and her work challenging the pervasive image of perfection projected by social media and advertising on women and girls has earned her recognition from UN Women.
In her acceptance speech on Wednesday, Ms Brumfitt said body image shaming had become an epidemic.
“Australia, it is not the purpose of our lives to wage war with our bodies,” she said.
Taryn was named Australian of the Year 2023 at a glittering ceremony in Canberra for her work with the Embrace Body Image Movement, which she founded in 2012
“Together we face some of the most difficult environmental, humanitarian and social problems of our time.
“What if, instead of spending our days hating our bodies, we could invest our time together to solve these challenges?
“What if, instead of wasting their precious time and energy at war with their bodies, our young people were free to become the leaders, great thinkers and game changers that the world needs more of right now?
“It’s not our bodies that need to change, but our perspective.”
The award was presented to her by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a ceremony on Wednesday evening