Meeting with Minister Gallagher

Coming up on the 10th of June, we have a meeting with Minister Katy Gallagher, the health minister for the ACT.

Do you guys have any particular questions you want to ask her? We're starting to put together some notes :)

<3
Noelle

What do you want to see on the blog?!

We were having a discussion about what we want to put up on the blog. Some suggestions were our journeys, how we met, how we went through recovery (and are, for some of us), what recovery means, how to help someone who has an eating disorder, any poems or stories that we find and like, and any really helpful websites.

Please leave us a message or email us at dispellingthemythsforum@gmail.com with what you want us to put on the blog!

and for our first creative entry, I'm going to put up a poem I wrote, with the help of a friend called Rach, when I was first in treatment. For those of you who don't know - the name of my eating disorder is "Medusa"

Medusa’s Lies

Medusa is her name
Destruction is her game
Thriving on secrets,
Suffering and pain

Come here little one
Let me tell you a lie
The rules have won
You’ve lost, my oh my

Your reflection is broken
Her eyes you will see
Medusa is awoken
You no longer will be

Quiet and submissive
You have learned well
Of fears she’s dismissive
Do, or there will be hell

From wild to tame
Gently she soothes
She’ll destroy and maime
With very few moves

Her actions so gentle
And swift into your life
Showing all you’re ‘mental’
And in very deep strife

Come here little one
Let me wipe away your tears
I will destroy all fun
I will fill you with my fears

You become a marionette
With strings attached
A life in pieces you’ll get
Slowly becoming detached

I’ve taken your body, not only your head
Not only about food, but many fears
Eating with others fills you with dread
It’s been the same for many years

As you learn what is real
What you hold close to your heart
Recovery is a deal
Upon which you now embark

Have I Mentioned...

HOW MUCH WOMEN'S FORUM AUSTRALIA ROCKS!?
No?
Well I shall now set about doing so...

After attending the forum hosted by Jacqui at the ACT Legislative Assembly, at which the amazing Melinda Tankard Reist spoke, I felt so empowered and releived. I felt empowered by the encouragement that I am much more than just the sum of my body parts and releived that there are people out there taking action and saying NO to the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls. I felt relieved also by the fact that they did not just focus on the damage this does to women but also the way in which this impacts upon the men in our society.
I know all too well of the hurt caused by guys treating me like an object and then their shock and confusion when I tell them that there is more to life and not to dumb themselves down.

After reading Women's Forum Australia's (www.womensforumaustralia.org) Articles on Objectification of Women and Sexualisation of Girls I was horrofied at some of the statistics. I was especially horrofied to see, printed in black and white infront my very own eyes, the statistics for eating disorders. I have talked about these statistics and have been a part of them and yet it still shocks me and makes me sick to the core when I see them infront of me.

I would encourage everyone to stand up for what you believe in and call for change in our increasingly dark society. As a group frighting for freedom and change we are part of a much larger battle that Women's Forum Australia and many other organisations & groups are fighting. It's not always easy to stand up for what is right but I feel no one should have to go through harassement, eating disorders, depression, anxiety or any other experience and become part of the alarming statistics we see today. I feel that no one should have to live in a world which cries democracy and free speech but whispers conformity. Infact, it doesn't even whisper it, it screams it! Look around you at the Lee jeans adds, look at the dolls 6 yr olds play with, look at the cosmetic proceedures aimed at young girls! It's everywhere and we have learnt to live with it. We shouldn't have to! We shouldn't have to be made to feel inadequate by a pixelated image of a tarty fashion model exposing all by 3 sq cm of her body! Taking a stance against sexualisation is not a prude gesture of an ultra conservative nature, it's a stance on our right to be ourselves, our right to be individuals and not sexualised women and girls. It's a stance in which we say no to the exploitation of society as a whole (men and women.)

Stand up for what you believe in and fight for the future.

Forum with Melinda

Last night we had the forum with Melinda Tankard from Womens Forum Australia (http://www.womensforumaustralia.org.au/). It was really interesting - somewhat shameful that some of the behaviors she was talking about, some of us had engaged in, in our "sick days". Some of the advertising made me sick to my stomach.

That's Hannah, Kate and I just before the forum started (please excuse the poor quality, camera-phones-r-us).
Jacqui, Hannah and Kate - and I *was* there, but somehow managed to cut myself out perfectly.

We also have a new member, Lon - who will be attending meetings with us, as well as Leni who will be offering her wisdom and advice.

It was a fantastic night, and I think I speak for all of us when we say that we learned a lot :-)

<3
Noelle

Another forum hosted by Jacqui Burke MLA

Just so everyone knows - we will be holding another forum hosted by Jacqui Burke MLA. Our keynote speaker is Melinda-Tankard Reist of Women's Forum Australia. who will be talking about how the media impacts self-esteem and body image.

Here are the details:
13th May, 2008
6-7:30pm
Legislative Assembly
Civic, ACT

Would love to see everyone there! The more support we can get, the better! :)

<3
Noelle