Dissecting body image

Rae Smith
Contributor
I struggled with anorexia for six years.
Now healthy for a year and seven months, I’ve found promoting positive body images and raising eating disorder awareness among young girls and women is my passion. I’ve seen so many women in my life at war with their bodies, trying to lose weight and change themselves in order to fit into society’s standards of beauty.

After analyzing the media that bombards us every day, I realized there was a lack of positive images. There was nothing encouraging women to embrace their curves, their hair and their freckles; there was nothing telling them it was okay to have flaws.
In January, I planned a month of body image and eating disorder awareness programs for Bethune residence, where I am a don. The first event was called “Dissecting the Media.” It encouraged residents to critically look at the messages that the media portrayed, and to understand how unrealistic and unattainable the ideals were for both men and women.
The second event was a discussion on body image and how it affects our lives. Residents were invited to express their thoughts and feelings on body image and discuss how the media negatively impacts the relationships we have with our bodies. After the discussion, we headed outside to smash scales. Watching these young men and women thrust scales against the cold pavement, releasing the animosity which was inflicted by its numbers, was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.
The last event was passive programming. We had printouts of information for students on eating disorders, tips to improve body image and instructions on what to do if you have a friend struggling with an eating disorder.
I’m proposing Residence Life incorporate these programs across all residences, hoping to spread awareness about body image and eating disorders issues. I believe that as a generation of women we have the responsibility to rise up and set the standard for the next generation of girls.
If we do not step up and display self-love and acceptance toward our bodies and their flaws, the next generation will fall victim to the self-loathing and self-hate that is all too common in ours.
These programs are a step toward empowering women and the relationships they have with their bodies. These are actions of resistance against a weight-obsessed world.
For more information, visit Rae Smith’s blog,
theloveyourselfchallenge.tumblr.com