A very inspirational article on BBC News - Oxford was published on the website on the 15th of September. The article deals with how an ex-Gymnast has put the "traumatic" experience into some incredible paintings that are celebrating body shapes. Amber-Lauren Ballantyne-Styles is a former Acrobatic Gymnast who was a member of the Trio (alongside Joanne White and Abigail Collins) who won the Silver Medal at the 2007 European Championships. The article can be seen at the following link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-19557400 and you can see more of Amber-Lauren's work at her personal website: http://www.amber-laurenfineart.co.uk/Welcome.html. Such incredible artwork, she's very talented and I wish her every success.
From the article:
But amid claims of bullying about her weight she quit the sport and fell into a pattern of binge eating.
She said: "I wanted to go in the opposite direction and almost rebel in a way.
"It had been a sad and horrible time of my life when I should have been allowed to enjoy my success and be happy."
Amber wants her art to help other young girls "embrace curves and all-round beauty".Night terrorsAt the height of her gymnastics success Amber was 5'7", had a healthy BMI (body mass index) of 20 and was a size eight.
Despite this she claims she was continually bombarded with derogatory comments which led to frequent night terrors and sleepwalking.
"She went from a happy kid to one who was regularly bawling her eyes out," said her mother Cherry.
Amber said: "At the age of 11 to 13 being told you're fat is not exactly a confidence boost. Everything but.
"So that really triggered something in my head and it was a real horrible thing at the time, but I'm glad I've been able to move past that and [art] has definitely helped me."