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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Emma Joyce

‘Australia’s beach culture is very fatphobic’: the summertime rise in body dissatisfaction

Illustration of a woman wearing a swimming costume 'disappearing away' with a beach behind
‘I grew up thinking having a soft body was wrong’ … body dissatisfaction can peak in summer, as Australia’s outdoor culture increases the opportunities to compare yourself against others. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images

Bella Davis has struggled with body dissatisfaction since she was eight years old. “I grew up thinking having a soft body was wrong,” says the now 29-year-old from the Central Coast.

As a teenager, Davis was “always striving to be thinner”, “obsessed with tracking calories” and “terrified to date” or be intimate with anybody in case they commented on her body.

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