An RTÉ Player Original, The Talk discusses real life issues from a personal perspective. There's no presenter or media personality to ask the probing questions. Instead, two people have 'the talk’ - an open and honest conversation about an issue that’s close to their hearts.
Last year, tasked with discussing the topic of racism in Ireland, the pairs included brothers Darragh and Conor Buckley, activist Angel Arutura and podcast host Maria Diouf, rapper Mai Salif (aka Celaviedmai) and singer-songwriter Tomike J, broadcaster Ola Majekodunmi and social pyschologist Mamobo Ogoro.
This year, a brand new group of contributors will tackle the topics of body image and fertility - you can watch them on the RTÉ Player now.
In the second episode of the series, four young women - beauty content creator Jen Morris, comedian Justine Stafford, curvy model Jessica Cinelli and plus size model Brenda Mangwandi - discuss how they feel about their bodies.
From childhood diets and dating to bullying and the representation of women and weight in cinema, this is an honest and emotional insight into the impact of body image on our lives today.
First on the agenda is the topic of growing up. Curvy model Jessica Cinelli recalls a desire to diet at the age of eight, while comedian and content creator Justine Stafford details the school bullying that spurred her to lose more than half her body weight in three months.
Beauty content creator Jen Morris also describes her wish to lose weight as a child:
"I vividly remember when I was young, thinking, like, if I could just get a little bit sick. Like, if I could get some kind of disease, that I would be sick enough that I wouldn’t die, but that I would be skinny. Because that’s all I cared about – trying to be small and be like all the girls and everyone I was seeing. And like, I’m not going to say it’s something I thought about once, I thought about it often."
Plus-size model and blogger Brenda Mangwandi discusses the worst things that have been said to her, describing an ex-boyfriend who constantly compared her to a slimmer friend. She goes on to say:
"The peak of it was when he said, ‘I am tired of defending dating you to my friends because they are saying, why am I with this fat person’."
Jen mentions the embarrassment of being cornered on a train by an elderly woman who recommended a diet to her, saying "When you’re bigger, people just feel like they can tell you anything. Because they feel like they are helping you."
She goes on to advise "I just feel like you should never comment on someone's body... Just don't say it. It’s none of your business, you know, it's not your body. Just back off."
Social Media is the next topic on the table. Jen talks about her work as a beauty content creator and explains that no matter how hard she works in her industry, she feels she will never reach the success of her slimmer colleagues.
Brenda describes being accused of promoting obesity after winning a beauty pageant. But rather than letting this discourage her, she decided to use her platform to promote a positive body image and to inspire others.
Justine also used her platform to shine a light on her experiences. After writing an article for World Mental Health Day, she was inundated with messages from readers and acquaintances who had gone through similar experiences. She never regretted her decision to open up, saying:
"If I’d have known that so many people at that time, unfortunately, were going through so many similar things, the difference it would have made to me. We are far more open about talking about these things that you can feel not so alone going through it."
Next on the agenda is the word ‘fat’. Jessica talks about the power that this word held over her for so many years. She has since taken the power out of the word, saying: "I call myself fat all the time now. I’m like – I'm fat – and what?!"
Jessica goes on to describe how her struggles with weight curbed her enjoyment of life for many years. But after having her son, she gained a new-found gratitude for her body and the realisation that life is for living.
Watch The Talk on RTÉ Player now.
