A powerful workshop which offers young people an inspiring way of re-thinking body image & self-worth.

Looking back over time to different cultures and communities we can see that there have been many different takes on body image. Renaissance women were admired for their plump form because it was evidence that they were well fed and therefore wealthy. Today, two thirds of girls ages 10-18 in Cape Town, South Africa see extra weight as a sign of happiness and wealth. Other communities feel that very thin people show restraint and control and therefore should be admired.

This workshop reveals how interesting humans are and how cultures invent ideas about our bodies & our self-worth which we end up relating to as the only truth. Ultimately none of it is ‘true,’ it’s all made up and ideals will vary in time and place. Unfortunately, at the moment, the media creates incredible pressure on young people to look a certain way. With all of the editing & photoshop used to create the perfect picture, we are being trained to expect ourselves to be perfect.

This workshop will release the invisible hold the media has on our young people as we bring transparency, humour and awareness to what happens behind the scenes in all of these perfect pictures.

We will see that we can create our own truth, and what our own ideal is. If we see our body as an instrument, and not an ornament, what attributes would we value in ourselves?

Ornaments & Instruments will create a sense of choice for young people now, and will become a foundation of strength for their future relationship with their bodies and ultimately with their self-worth.