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Campaign promotes positive body image
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Last week, the Health and Wellness Center wanted students all around campus to notice that the right attitude is indeed the right cosmetic.
The Health and Wellness Center, in cooperation with the Women’s Center, joined forces to raise awareness about body image issues and eating disorders on the Boise State campus.
The program, called Every Body is Beautiful, was designed to help students focus on positive self-image and not on unrealistic ideals that affect self-image.
Many students, both young and old, feel pressure to look a certain way.
But women particularly become anxious if they don’t meet the standard.
Because women are taught their beauty is tied with self-worth, the aim of the campaign reminded women of the facts.
“Today, computers manipulate 95 percent of images of women found in magazines,” Boise State University Counselor Chris McClure said. “By today’s standards, Marilyn Monroe is considered obese. One goal [of the program] is to educate the public how much reality is defined through images. One problem is that advertising agencies design impossible ideals because they want their message to be that no one can possibly be beautiful without cosmetic products.”
As students fit in to new social environments, style and self-image become factors that determine their self-esteem.
The Every Body is Beautiful Program took advantage of this fact by setting up games, healthy snacks and items like magnets and pencils for students.
Miriam Cope, a health sciences intern from Brigham Young University: Idaho, organized most of these programs.
Cope dispersed “Love Your Body” kits at booths located in the Student Union Building and Student Recreation Center.
She also set up a game at Taylor Residence Hall called “Cross the Line If.”
Students were asked to cross a line or step away from the line if they agreed or disagreed with statements about body weight.
Everyone received healthy snacks and bottles of water for playing the game.
In another game, the program interns asked students to step on the “Scale of Fortune.”
The scale’s numbers were replaced with certain colors that correlated to a positive quote or advice on a piece of colored paper next to the scale.
“The program showed that students are more than just a number on a scale,” Cope said. “The program handed out approximately 850 brochures. And people had a lot of positive things to say about it, and they were glad to see it going on.”
Jodi Brawley, health educator at Boise State University, supervised the program.
“Our program reached over 1,000 people. We did not push issues with weight. We want people to be comfortable with who they are,” Brawley said.
AVERY EPPERLY
News Writer