Ep.131 The story of Sparrowlegs with author and body image educator Anupa Roper.

I spend a lot of time talking about the impact of low body confidence in women over 40 but what about the younger generation? How can we help support them and enable them to grow up without all the body image issues that our generation were handed down?  Do you worry about your child’s body image?  Do you struggle to support them with their body image? ⁠Anupa Roper⁠, a.k.a Sparrowlegs is a mum of two and in the last three years has transitioned from primary school teacher to children’s author and body image educator. Anupa allowed her label of ‘skinny’ to affect her choices and her feelings of worth for a long time. Now she wants to empower the next generations by helping them to feel happy in their own skin.  I asked Anupa how she would describe herself in 3 words and why? Kind - I would consider myself as a kind person, always putting others first and considering how my actions would make them feel. I like to think this is because it’s a reflection of what I would wish others to be too  Talkative! My school reports always cited me as chatty, and I have to say that true - I love a natter. I’m super interested in what others have to say so I’m a good listener too  Just me - I’m a mixture of so many things that make me me. The work that I do involves me helping others to see that being ourselves, being unique, is okay because we are all great just the way that we are.  I had such an interesting talk with Anupa, and we so often hear body confidence conversations from the plus-size community, so it was refreshing to hear Anupa’s perspective as a slimmer woman.  Anupa really does know how it feels to be uncomfortable in your own body. After spending years hating her ‘skinny’ legs and ‘skinny’ arms. She spent years being told how small she was and being questioned about whether she ate enough! Anupa has walked the path of being defined by her size and appearance and understands how to work towards having a better body image. She is passionate in wanting to support the next generations to do this too. My nickname at primary school was speck four eyes as I wore thick glasses and I hated them. I'm sure you can relate to how cruel young children can be to each other when it comes ot name calling. Anupa was called "Sparrowlegs" and has now now learnt to embrace her body and is owning the name.  ⁠Sparrowlegs⁠ is a beautifully illustrated book for under 7’s about a sparrow who learns to love the feathers she is in. Sparrow embraces her amazing body and thinks that you should too! Women like Anupa are creating a positive ripple effect for future generation, and we all have a part to play. Being mindful of the language we use around our children, young adults and grandchildren can make a big difference to their mental wellbeing and how they grow feeling about their bodies. What does "Free to Be" mean to Anupa? "Free to Be happy in our own skin is how I would interpret that, both on the outside and inside too. We just need to learn to be comfortable with who we are and not feel the pressure to be anyone else." What does 'Free to Be' mean to you? To find out more visit- ⁠www.sparrowlegs.com⁠ Instagram ⁠@miss_sparrowlegs⁠ Purchase ⁠Sparrowlegs⁠  I'll be back next week but in the meantime   Keep being fabulous   Rachel x ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/libertefreetobe⁠⁠

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