By Tatjana van der Krabben
First there was a little and then there was a lot: filmed material about lipedema. The most treasured ones are those made by women with lipedema. They made it visible to the world what it is like to have lipedema. They gave lipedema awareness wings on social media. This blog features some of these initiatives.
In 2013 far, far away from the safety of a (makeshift) studio, British ladies boldy crossed London, England in a bus, holding banners, making stops along the way to tell about lipedema. Their endeavors caught on camera:
A grand operation; a multitude of activists and (liposuction) specialists were interviewed to get a very simple yet important message across: those with lipedema didn't bring this on themselves. You can't rid yourself of it with a bit of dieting and exercise. And any lack thereof didn't bring it on. Below is not the final cut. This month you can register for a free online streaming of the film.
Last year the Dutch also felt they really needed something more visual, in their own language, to share on social media and use with presentations. Although there was an obvious language barrier, the music and the images managed to convey part of the message to viewers abroad and requests came in to do an English version. This is it, freshly released:
Short, sweet and jam-packed with information: the Australian ladies did a fabulous job with an animation:
The next video was pointed out to me recently. Some have made the effort to do a (small) film all by themselves. Sometimes to illustrate why they need funds for treatment, some to raise awareness. This video is raw, personal, but also strong and professional looking.
One more from Germany. Excuse the language issue, but it's a good vlog (video blog) about lipedema and treatment options. She explains what lipedema is, conservative treatment, the point of liposuction and argues liposuction should be covered.
The message is getting out there and is getting shared. Happy June Awareness Month!
