| Embrace | |
| Director: | Taryn Brumfitt |
| Starring: | Taryn Brumfitt |
| Narrator: | Taryn Brumfitt |
| Music: | Benjamin Speed |
| Cinematography: | Hugh Fenton |
| Editing: | Lindi Harrison Bryan Mason |
| Studio: | Southern Light Alliance |
| Distributor: | Transmission Films |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | Australia |
| Language: | English |
Embrace is a 2016 Australian documentary film directed by Taryn Brumfitt. It concerns women's body image and is a response to surveys showing that 90% of women are "highly dissatisfied" with their bodies.[1] [2] [3] It includes interviews with Mia Freedman, editor of the Australian Cosmopolitan and television talk-show hosts Amanda de Cadenet and Ricki Lake.
The film was screened at the 2016 Sydney Film Festival[4] and New Zealand International Film Festival.
The film was originally classified MA 15+ by the Australian Classification Board, meaning that people under 15 could only legally view or purchase it when accompanied by an adult guardian. Brumfitt expressed outrage at this decision, which she pointed out put the film into the same category as Fifty Shades of Grey.
Following a review by the Australian Classification Review Board, it was subsequently re-classified M, which means it is no longer subject to any legal age restrictions.[5]
Brumfitt fully welcomed this decision, stating, "I am thrilled that the right decision has been made. With rates of labiaplasty on the rise, particularly in teens, I knew how important it was to include the educational and informative vulva section in the film. Since the film's release I have been told every day that it must be seen in schools and now it can be. The Classification Board's decision means that Embrace can be more accessible to the people who need its message most."[6]
Facebook is reported to have barred the film's poster on the basis that it shows "excessive skin".[7]