‘I was terrified, but by the end, I was dancing around in my pants and crying with happy tears.’
Getting naked and looking at yourself in the mirror can be awkward, difficult or empowering – depending on how confident you are about your body.
A new video from National Student Pride sees five young LGBTI students coming to grips with that exact task.
Today the Pride organization is announcing the details of an open mic session on body confidence at their event this weekend.
It has guest speakers including gay singer Calum Scott, ITV’s Dr Ranj Singh, Plus size model Aliss Bonython and non-binary YouTuber Roly Ungashaa talking about how they feel about their bodies.
The video asks five brave students get down to their underwear to talk about their bodies.
It’s awkward and difficult as you watch them struggle. But by the end of the shoot, the students feel incredibly empowered by their bodies.
It might leave you feeling different about how you look in the mirror:
‘It was terrifying, but by the end – I was crying happy tears’
Hatti Smart, who took part in the video, was terrified about the shoot:
‘It’s nerve-wracking standing in front of a camera rig, lights and a group of people that have never seen you in less than a woolly jumper. But it was honestly one of the most liberating things I have ever done.
‘By the end of it I was dancing around in my pants, and there were even some happy tears.’
All the interviewees were asked what their favorite body parts were.
Corry Wiseman used to be ‘obsessed’ about his body weight – but now he can recognize his best feature:
‘The thing that I like the most about my body is my collarbones. I’ve said it a million times before, there is no explanation to why I like my collarbones.’
He says he was able to overcome this by ‘exposure therapy:’
‘Whenever I got out the shower or in my boxers in front of a mirror, I’ll just look at myself. And accept that what I see is me, and I’ve got to love it. You can’t spend your whole life hating something that you can’t really change.’
What is happening at National Student Pride this year?
The whole event starts with an opening night party with one of Britain’s biggest Drag Queens, BGT’s Danny Beard. – GAY Late, Fri 10th, 7pm.
The main stage room will play host to our LGBT+ youth homelessness panel after the #QueerAF podcast with Evan Davis.
It will also host a panel with trans and non binary activists titled #Beyond the Binary.
The daytime will end with a parody of Paul O’Grady’s Blind Date. ‘Queer Dates’ hosted by Celebrity Big Brother winner Courney Act gives students the chance to win a date with the likes of Ollie Locke (Made in Chelsea star)and Riyadh Khalaf (Host of Queer Britain) after a performance by Calum Scott.
The Saturday event also has the Gay Star Students stage, live streamed by Gay Star News. This will host a YouTubers meet & greet with therapy dogs. There is also a panel discussion on this stage about bi+ erasure.Finishing be inviting students to a open mic discussion on body image with featured speakers including Calum Scott, on how to love how you look.
The Body Confidence panel will take place on the Gay Star Students stage, live streamed by Gay Star News with Clifford Chance and Deliotte. The event is platinum sponsored by EY.
