Why Body Representation Matters, with Emily Williams from Every Body Outdoors

Send us Fan MailWow, what a fantastic conversation with the fabulous Emily Williams - and our first to be released on YouTube (you can watch it here!)Emily is the Director and Co-founder of Every Body Outdoors and loves the outdoors - at the moment mostly cycling and wild swimming, but also paddleboarding, canoeing, camping and exploring and anything else that looks like fun. In her day job she works as a self-employed knitwear designer and technical editor (specialising in plus size grading of hand-knit patterns) and is a campaigner advocating for better active travel infrastructure in the highlands. Emily shared with us how she has always loved outdoor activities and adventures and how she became an activist to lobby for size-inclusive clothing. She has been putting herself out there, representing how those in plus-size bodies can have the adventures that we usually only see straight-sized and thin folks go on. Every Body Outdoors is building a community exclusively for people in larger bodies who want to explore outdoor activities. They review clothes and gear, and they run regional walks.We also talked about the brilliant short film 'Capsized' that showed Emily and her friend Lisa on a canoe adventure in the Scottish Lochs. We chatted about their journey, how getting the right gear was so much more difficult and labour intensive for Emily than Lisa, and how the film is meant to show people that there is a place for every body outdoors. Here are links to the trailer: Watch the Trailer on Facebook Watch the Trailer on InstagramThe film will be screened at Kendal Mountain Festival on the 22nd and 24th November 2024, and will go on tour afterwards - check out the dates and book your tickets! Buy your tickets for the festival here.Check Out the TourFollow Every Body Outdoors on social media@every_body_outdoorsOR join their Facebook group (exclusively for plus size folk!): Support the showPlease reach out if you would like some support with your relationship to food OR movement. Ela currently has limited spaces for Intuitive Eating coaching and if you'd like to reconnect with movement, contact Christine.  If you'd like exclusive access to our supporter-only channel click here.We appreciate you