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Miss Universe Canada Siera Bearchell Talks to BridgePoint Center for Eating Disorders 

 

Miss Universe Canada, Siera Bearchell, is a 23-year-old from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan who is teaching the world about how to shut down body shaming and giving us a lesson on body acceptance and self-love. Siera, who is currently in the Phillippines to compete for the title of Miss Universe 2017, was gracious enough to free up some time to speak to BridgePoint Center.  

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is coming up February 1-7 and we are thrilled to collaborate with Miss Bearchell.  Here is what she has to say...

“I would love to help use my voice to help women struggling with who they are. Love yourself for who you are. Remember that there is no one like you and that is your power. True beauty, validation and self-worth all start from within. Rather than labelling our bodies, we should call ourselves what we are, women. Women who are confidently beautiful and celebrate other women.”

                                                                                         - Siera Bearchell, Miss Universe Canada

Have you or anyone close to you ever struggled with disordered eating?

I have struggled with disordered eating in the sense that I deprived myself to look a certain way. I was not happy with who I was and what I looked like and I never felt good enough no matter how much weight I lost.

What advice do you have for anyone who is suffering in silence?

Do not allow yourself to suffer in silence. We cannot grow if we are stuck in our own minds. Even listening to ourselves tell our own story is a way to cope and heal. Human connection is key and being vocal is important on the road to any recovery. Even if it is with family and friends, do not be afraid to share how you feel. One of the worst things we can do is keep our thoughts brewing in our minds.

How can we empower men and women to embrace their bodies and shut down body shaming?

We need to lead by example and do so by becoming our own role models. We need to work together to change the global vision of beauty. We need to support each other in this generation of body diversity. We become successful when we impact others and we can do so by supporting each other, accepting each other and most importantly, accepting and supporting ourselves. When we are happy with who we are, we can better contribute to society. It is important to remember that there is no one else in the world just like us and that is our power.

Do you have a special message for our BridgePoint participants? We have 8 lovely women in a 30 day program right now who could use some love!

Know that true beauty, validation and self-worth start from within. We live in a world that profits off of our insecurities and in this day and age, there is no ONE definition of beauty any more. This is the generation of self-love, self-worth and body diversity. It is time to uplift each other, believe in ourselves and be the role models we want to have in our own lives.

Best of luck Siera! We will all be rooting for you for you in Saskatchewan. We look forward to collaborating further when you are back home. 

 

BridgePoint Center for Eating Disorders in Milden, Saskatchewan is a program that contributes to making a difference in the lives of people in Saskatchewan with eating disorders by opening a path for a process of discovery and recovery.