Yahoo Lifestyle Woman Strips Down To Her Underwear In Public To Spread An Important Message
Inspired by Amanda Palmer’s TED talk ‘The Art of Asking’ and fed up with the rise of eating disorders and body-image issues in our society, Jae West says she felt an 'overwhelming sense of vulnerability' as she arrived at the bustling Piccadilly Circus in London.
As she dropped her dress and covered her eyes with a blindfold, she stood there holding a permanent marker and a sign which read: "I'm standing for anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder or self-esteem issue like me.. To support self-acceptance draw a [heart] on my body".
Jae West undressed in London's bustling Piccadilly Circus to urge women to love their bodies. Photos: The Liberators
West, who has suffered from an eating disorder previously herself, recalls feeling an immediate shift in the air and says her heart began to race as she felt the full weight of what she had decided to do. "As the minutes passed, it felt like hours," she said.
But then suddenly she felt someone press a marker to her skin and draw a heart shape - and she just burst into tears and says she felt "one of the most overwhelming feelings of relief, gratitude, and love."
The board West held during her experiment. Photos: The Liberators
West describes one of the most inspiring moments during the experiment as listening to a father explain to his children what she was doing.
"He was acknowledging the fact that everyone should love themselves exactly as they are and appreciate the bodies that they are given."
"If everyone could know and appreciate how beautiful they are from childhood I think this world would be a very different place."
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