Dayna Altman is a sophomore at PC. When she’s not shopping or hanging out with her friends, she’s advocating a very serious cause: fighting eating disorders. Dayna created a website with her sister, www.beayoutiful.org, which boosts the self esteem of girls everywhere and reminds them that they are beautiful, no matter what their body shape is.
Name: Dayna Altman
Year: Class of 2014
Major: Social work
So you created beayoutiful.org. Can you tell us a little more about that? I did. Beayoutiful.org is a website that my sister, who is sixteen by the way, and I started. The website is dedicated to making every woman see the beauty within herself. We live in a society where we are continually torn down, criticized, and judged (women especially) for our bodies. After suffering from an eating disorder, as well very low self esteem due to a constant feeling that I was not good enough, I was hospitalized. My sister and I grew up making bracelets together and when I was in the hospital for my eating disorder, these string bracelets were reintroduced into my life. My hospitalization and my eating disorder were very hard on my family, especially my sister. I wanted to be a role model for her and not succumb to my disorder. We both got through my hospitalization and this past summer by making these bracelets, mailing them back and forth, and learning new patterns. When I was released from the hospital, we got together and decided to sell our bracelets. All of our proceeds go to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA).
That’s so awesome! What made you start up the webpage itself? Just to spread the message to people even more? Yes exactly! In addition to helping fund NEDA events and research, and reminding women to remember how beautiful they are, we also are trying to tear away the social stigma attached to mental illness and eating disorders because they are so prevalent. We thought a website would be the best way to do this, and it has been great. Through all of our networking we have been able to reach people we have never met, it is so rewarding!
Wow that’s fantastic. I feel like eating disorders are kind of pushed under the rug. Have any girls talked to you about their problems? Yes! Reaching people is incredible, but learning about other people’s struggles and the fact that these people feel empowered by the website enough to share their stories is so inspirational for me. I have learned so much about so many people, and those who have opened up have helped me come to terms with my own disorder. The support we have been getting and knowing I have survivors and fighters all around me is incredible! It inspires me.
Was there one special story that really stood out to you? Oh that’s so hard because they are all so different. The most shocking are stories from people who I have known my entire life and admired, and had never known about their struggle with an eating disorder. I feel horrible that they had to go through it too, but it makes me feel as though I am not so alone. Also, my hero is Lillian Shields (she graduated last year from PC, is currently working as a social worker in Arizona, and will be going into the Peace Corps next September). It was her story that inspired me to get help. She empowered me with the strength to battle my eating disorder head on because she was so honest about her own disorder and was living proof that there is such a thing as recovery! If were not for Lillian, I have no idea where I would be. She is incredible and is going to change the world. She inspires me every day and really helped inspire the website as well. Now I want to be a “Lilly” for someone else.
That’s super touching. It’s cool that the website has grown so much in such a short amount of time. I know you have a page on Facebook for it, how many fans do you have currently? We have 248 fans, and we launched our fan page one week ago, so we are very excited!
I think it’s amazing that you’re helping out such a huge cause. It’s very important for girls to understand that no body is a “bad” body, but that everybody is different and the most important thing is to be healthy. Exactly. Everyone is different and we all need to block out the negative messages and remember that we are all beautiful. My favorite quote from recovery that I tell myself every morning: “scales measure weight, not worth”
Okay so when you’re not being amazing, what do you do on the weekends? Well the website and being a social work major at PC keeps me very busy! I hope to go back to the hospital I was at and work with girls with eating disorders. But the weekends usually include hanging out with friends, seeing my family, catching up on Modern Family, watching movies, doing some kind of community service, shopping, going to La Salle or planning Providence College’s Relay for Life (I am the vice president of college against cancer here) and tons of homework.
Do you want to study abroad? I do, I’m hoping to study abroad over the summer in London. I have never been to Europe, maybe while I am there I can spread the beayoutiful.org movement.
Can you describe yourself in three words? Loyal, compassionate and empowering (hopefully).
What’s your favorite thing to do with your friends? Go to the beach or, if the weather is not permitting, shop!
Any favorite stores? My friends tell me I keep Forever 21 in business. I also love Francesca’s and I am big bargain shopper so I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
That’s so smart, especially on a college budget. Any parting words? I guess I just want to say to anyone reading this that as bad as something may seem ,every bad experience can become an opportunity to do something good. Never give up and remember you are beautiful!