We welcome the lovely Teresa Palmer and Phoebe Tonkin to Eat Beautiful. These two homegrown starlets are kicking goals in Hollywood.
Teresa got her break starring opposite Daniel Radcliffe in December Boys and has gone on to star in blockbuster films such as Take Me Home Tonight and I Am Number Four.
Phoebe starred in the Australian feature film based on the popular John Marsden novel Tomorrow, When the War Began before landing a lead role in the CW network show The Secret Circle, which then led to her role in the spin-off series The Originals.
Tez: I think it's an epidemic in this industry that the focus and attention goes to one's physical appearance. There are a group of women in Hollywood who are actively trying to change that. I belong to that group. I recognize that I'm on a platform and whether I like it or not the physical part of me will be talked about. So I deal with it like this... I don't think about it too much! I live my life the way I would. I'm healthy and eat well, I look after myself and my body and I don't like to wear make-up or designer clothes in my everyday life. I embrace who I am and my preferences but what I mainly embrace is authenticity. That's why I don't change who I am because of the fishbowl that I live in. I much prefer to represent "normal" than have to be on point playing the role of what someone might think a celebrity should look like.
Phoebe: I try to make smart choices and am always conscious of young girls seeing things I post on Instagram and Twitter. I try to lead a positive, happy, balanced life and hope to influence others to do the same.
Phoebe: I think it's a facade. Hours of make-up and lighting and photoshopping are used to create an image these days. Girls shouldn't be looking at these images as something to strive for. It's not reality.
Tez: I think it's horrible and I'm sad that what I do for a living contributes to this false sense of reality. That's why I don't go out of my way to be anything but myself; make-up free, hair unwashed me! I often use Twitter to tell girls that what they're seeing in the movies or magazines isn't really what I look like, that the real me is actually very similar to the real them. That way they don't have to strive for something that doesn't actually exist, something unattainable and unsustainable. I hope to be a role model and a cheerleader for REAL.
Tez: Yes, absolutely I am. I believe it's my calling in a sense. I recognize that I'm in a position where I can use my profile to affect positive change in the world. With my career I feel a sense of responsibility comes along with it and that responsibility is to the younger people who look up to me, to show them that there is another way. That self-love, acceptance and compassion is of the utmost importance.
Phoebe: I think it's very important to have positive body image. But on the other hand I think sometimes this leads to too much focus on something so external. I wish talk about bodies and image wasn't so prevalent in the media.
Tez: I just really practice open communication, I always start the day off by saying something I'm grateful for. I try to get to yoga as much as I can and I drink a green juice daily.
Phoebe: I try to drink a lot of water and surround myself with people I love. Simple!
Tez & Phoebe: Be the Change You Wish To See In The World
Tez: I listen to my body, I choose foods of lots of different colors, preferably in season. I don't eat processed food and stick to the outside aisles of supermarkets where all the fresh stuff lays. I’ve also let go of being so militant over "clean eating," and my body has responded really well. I wasn’t actually getting enough nutrients when I became too obsessed with watching everything that went into my mouth and questioning where it had come from. Eating became stressful, so I've backed off from that and now have a really healthy relationship with good and nutritious food.