Just like grades, classes and social events, body image is something every student thinks about.
For some, it drives every meal decision and visit to the Student Recreation Center. For others, it’s neglected; however, everyone has an opinion on his or her body. Opinions can range from realistic and healthy to irrational and detrimental.
Peer health educators, along with six other campus organizations, are launching All Sizes Fit, a weeklong string of events starting today to address body image. The organizations hope to set straight what is healthy by hosting lectures and free yoga sessions.
“The beauty standards in our society are so high nowadays because of media and these unrealistic misconceptions. It’s leading men and women to unhealthy behaviors with their body,” Peer Health Educator Vanessa Kristensen said.
Choosing to have the campaign during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Peer Health Educators thought body image was a more relevant focus.
“You could likely tell me what anorexia is. You could likely tell me what bulimia is. But being mindful of how the language that we use every day influences our body — which is in the way that we feel about our body — really doesn’t get that much media coverage,” said Jessica Wilson, University Health Center dietician.
Kristensen said 75 percent of people will do something harmful to their bodies on any given day.
“Not a lot of people realize how much ‘fat talk’ or negative comments are said … until they actually pay attention,” Kristensen said.
A no “fat talk” pledge will be hosted at the EMU and rec center to bring awareness to how influential negative comments can be. “Fat talk” describes negative conversations about the body.
“I see and I hear a lot of folks who have diagnosable eating disorders … and how the comments actually do trigger their eating disorders,” Wilson said.
Although negative body image is commonly associated with women, the campaign also aims to shed light on how men are affected by negative body image. Dr. Torrence Wimbish will hold a lecture Wednesday to discuss male body dissatisfaction.
“It’s sort of unreported; it’s not something socially that men talk about with one another,” said Keith Van Norman, health center health promotion marketing manager.
Kristensen said she hoped the joint effort from various campus organizations would not only bring about the opportunity for free yoga sessions all week, but for the active change of negative body image among students.
“We want people to realize that this does happen on campus, and this is prevalent everywhere,” Kristensen said. “It is a huge issue that needs to be addressed, and it’s one that’s preventable that we can change just by the way we think of ourselves and we think of others.”
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University Health Center hosts weeklong event to change body image perceptions
Daily Emerald
February 19, 2011
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