Sunday afternoon a group of women recovering from eating disorders stripped down to their underwear in a demonstration they said showcased body positivity.
Nine women blindfolded themselves and stripped down to their underwear before linking hands and standing in a line on the sidewalk across from the Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria. They stood with linked hands for 30 minutes starting at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
The women participating in the event used the hashtag #OnlyOneYou to spread their message.
The demonstration was organized in part by Blossom Place, a Nanaimo-based facility that is the first women’s eating disorder recovery house in Canada.
“We shine a light on negative effects on social media,” said Deanna Sullivan, Executive Director at Blossom Place, who also participated in the demonstration.
Sullivan said that the act of standing semi-nude in public is empowering. “We’re spreading the point that we don’t have to be afraid what other people think of us,” said Sullivan.
Tim Ford
