By Deirdre Cowman, Director of Endangered Bodies Ireland

Happy New Year! (Can I get away with saying that right through January?) Over the last 12 months I have been reaching out to other women in Ireland who have had enough of the toxic culture of body hatred, who are tired of the lack of diversity of size, shape, age and colour that they see in the mainstream media, who are sick of hearing their friends counting calories and worrying about their weight when they should be enjoying their lives, and who don’t want their children to grow up in a world where they will be judged on their appearance instead of all the wonderful qualities they bring to the world. Through tweets and Facebook posts, email conversations and phone calls, discussion groups and chats over cups of tea, we are finding our voices and finding strength in one other. We know that we are not alone and we believe in change. As we start into a new year, it seems like the perfect time to reflect on EB Ireland’s journey so far.