Eating Disorders Victoria’s (EDV) new campaign Get Body Talk Out of Sports raises awareness and funds for people experiencing an eating disorder in Victoria.

EDV is on a mission to make body, food and movement freedom a possibility for everyone. This takes everyone working together to make our communities kinder places to be for our bodies.

Worldwide, an estimated 1 in 5 athletes will experience disordered eating. One reason for this is the higher pressure in sports for our bodies to look or perform a certain way. Community sports are places where we learn and affirm messages about our bodies, diet and movement that can stay with us for life.

Critical comments about our bodies or those of others have a powerful influence on our mental self-talk and what we think is ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’. But when we change how we talk, we can change the story. Belonging to a sports community that values all body types, not limited body ideals of thinness or muscularity, is a strong protection against the development of an eating disorder.

Taking direct action is simple:

• Use our free club partner pack to educate your club and create a culture of body neutrality and acceptance.
• Donate to EDV and help us provide free education and support to people at risk of, or currently experiencing, an eating disorder.
• Learn about eating disorders and exercise, and the harms of fixating on ‘clean eating’ which can lead to eating disorders or disordered eating behaviours, such as (but not limited to) orthorexia.

“Our club was lucky enough to host a Melbourne Mavericks & Eating Disorders Victoria ‘Body Neutrality’ workshop. It was such a powerful experience for all the girls involved. The way the speakers (Sasha Glasgow and Abbey from EDV) guided the conversation around body neutrality in sport was incredible and allowed the girls to feel safe and to open up and share their experiences. Everyone left feeling empowered and gained real life skills to take back to their clubs.”
—Apollo Bay Netball Club