Empowerment and using our voices for change were key takeaways from this year’s She Is Seen festival.

Starting in 2017 as a movement dedicated to creating a safe space for women and rewriting narratives that undermine self-worth, She Is Seen has grown into a vibrant community that embraces the beauty of human existence. It declares that we are all united by our humanness and perfect imperfections. 

Hosted in Port Elliot and Goolwa, the 2023 She Is Seen Festival, founded and run by local Libby Tozer and Team She Is Seen’s volunteers, was well supported by the local community, organisations and businesses from across the Fleurieu region. 

Libby reflects, “The festival this year was a culmination of everything She Is Seen has come to mean to our extensive local and international community. 

“This year’s festival and pre-events were a celebration of diversity, empowerment and self-acceptance, a reminder that we are all enough and worthy exactly as we are.”

Guest speaker at this year’s festival was Dr Moira Jenkins, Mayor of Victor Harbor. She delivered a speech celebrating the transformative power that she believes She Is Seen holds for the community.

Dr Jenkins and Libby Tozer. Photo Supplied. 

Addressing the 200 event participants in her underwear, she unravelled a powerful and emotional narrative that delved into the deeper significance of events like She Is Seen as catalysts for community enfranchisement.

In her speech, she spoke of the struggles of women in leadership, the imposter syndrome many face, and the need to break free from societal expectations, and emphasised the importance of shedding the masks that often conceal authenticity.

"I took off my robe and my chain and was there in my underwear. I talked about being authentic and the difficulty we have being authentic in a world that’s capitalist and misogynistic, that tries to sell us infinite beauty," Dr Jenkins said in a discussion following the event. 

"We all wear things that affirm our leadership position. And even as community leaders, we wear our designer clothes, our uniforms, our corporate attire. But as leaders, it's crucial to be authentic and vulnerable," she said.

Despite the vulnerability of delivering a speech in her underwear, Dr Jenkins says it left her feeling empowered and inspired.

“I found it so liberating doing that speech. I felt brave. I was just terrified beforehand. But She Is Seen created a really safe space, so I felt comfortable actually making a speech in my bra and undies. 

“All of the women in that room are leaders in their own right, whether or not they're leaders in their family or in their peer group or whether they're leaders in their workplace, they're bringing people with them or they're following leaders.

“I think they're all leaders in terms of recognising that we are all different. We're unique. We are all perfectly imperfect. We're all humans.”

Libby describes the She Is Seen movement as a celebration of community and about creating a safe space for people to be seen exactly as they are. It’s also about creating connections.

Sharing her vision for the future of She Is Seen, Libby says it is now moving into a new direction as a Not For Profit and into the space of positive aging advocacy, creating strong community connections, and allowing spaces for shifting shame by sharing stories where participants can feel seen and heard. 

Dr Jenkins says this is vital in a community like Victor Harbor and its surrounds, which is now seeing a demographic shift. She stresses the importance of addressing the needs of younger people and fostering a sense of belonging within the community, while also providing support and togetherness with older people.

“I was really amazed at how the festival is so intergenerational,” Dr Jenkins says. 

“There were some young women there that might've been in their teens. There were women in their twenties. There were older women there. There were women with disabilities there. And I think if we expand that to the whole of Victor Harbor and this region, it’s clear we are becoming much more intergenerational. We are learning from each other. 

The 2023 She Is Seen Festival was held on the country of Ramindjeri Ruwi of the Ngarrindjeri Nation. 

During the week leading up to the festival She Is Seen collaborated with Cara Ellickson, Director, Gender Consortium, Flinders University, and Barkindji Song Woman Nancy Bates in a pre-event with First Nations women from Australia and other countries in the region.

It included culturally and linguistically diverse women, gender-diverse individuals and women with disabilities, for a day of song, dancing, photography and workshops.

Workshops, music, and communal experiences were integral parts of the festival weekend. Partnering with Mi:minar Tumbetun, run by Kyla and Jade McHughes, She Is Seen provided a platform for First Nations women to lead workshops, described by attendees as life-changing and a festival highlight.

In a heartening conclusion, participants used their bodies to spell out the word IMAGINE, symbolising a collective yearning for a safer, kinder, and inclusive world.

Libby Tozer has expressed gratitude for the community's support, emphasising the open invitation for anybody to get involved with She Is Seen. 

As the She Is Seen movement evolves, revealing the strength in vulnerability and the power of authenticity, it's clear that people are not just baring their souls but also unapologetically showing that confidence can be the best underwear for embracing change.

Participants used their bodies to spell out the word IMAGINE, symbolising a collective yearning for a safer, kinder, and inclusive world. Photo supplied.