A group of Cairns schoolgirls have created an app that helps to promote body positivity by lifting the lid on
filters and Photoshop.

Izzy Stanton, Neve Mitchell, Aleira O’Neill, Summa Appleby and Danika Lindsay, who are Year 6 students at Holy Cross School in Trinity Park, entered the annual Techgirls Competition with their Bee You app, which is aimed at teenage girls aged 10-16 years.

Izzy said they hoped the app would “help girls realise they are not alone”.

“It includes a blog that helps girls identify Photoshopped images, and a map of places all over Australia showing where you can get help, including face-to-face counselling,” she said.

“This was an amazing opportunity for us to learn about coding, entrepreneurship, leadership and
teamwork.”

The Techgirls Competition is run by the Tech Girls Movement Foundation, which campaigns for future female leadership and innovation in STEM fields, including coding and app design.

The Holy Cross team’s prototype was up against more than 100 others. And although they didn’t win, body positivity will remain a passion for them.

Danika said the group had researched other body positivity apps on the market before they began creating Bee You, and only found about four.

“We eventually want girls to delete our app because they don’t need it anymore,” she said.

“We want to see girls love their bodies and love who they are. We want girls to be happy and less self-conscious about themselves.”

Neve said: “We want them to look in the mirror and believe ‘I am beautiful, I am just perfect the way I am’.

The girls spent about 12 weeks creating the Bee You app. They built a business plan, conducted skills analysis and consumer research, calculated a budget, met with their mentor, coded the app and created marketing materials.

For more information about Holy Cross School, visit their website here.