Love Your Body Week is next week, February 26-March 3. Students love SGA big weeks because of all the free stuff, but this annual week of events is about more than just free t-shirts and makeup bags: it’s about body acceptance, an issue I think should be really important to our college.
Even though guys struggle with self-esteem too, it’s especially an issue for women. We’re constantly told we need to look a certain way to fit into society. I love this Tina Fey quote: “Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”
How is any women supposed to live up to all of society’s beauty standards? Shouldn’t we be celebrating women for their accomplishments and smarts, not their bodies? As a women’s college, we need to do everything we can to remind students that EVERY body is beautiful in it’s own way, and it’s not what we look like, but what we DO, that really impacts society and says what kind of person we are. Who cares if my waist is tiny? The contributions I make to society matter much more.
81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat. Starting at a young age, girls diet and hate their bodies. We need to be better role models for them. When young girls hear women bash their bodies, it tells them they should bash their bodies, too.
So next week, help promote body image by attending all of LYBW’s fabulous events! On Monday, sign the poster in the DH during lunch and tell the world what makes YOU beautiful, then later hear from students talk about why body positivity is important to them at the student panel at 7pm in Vander Vennet.
Tuesday and Thursday during lunch, stop by the table in the DH again to write letters to friends to express concern they’re struggling, tell them you care and want to help, or to remind them their beautiful. We all could use a nice handwritten letter to remind us how loved we really are.
Wednesday in the DH, send a KIND bar to your friends! Write what you love about them, and they’ll be delivered to the dorm front desks later in the week. This is a great way to surprise a friend and remind them you care. Later Wednesday, SMC alum Lisa Clarkson is speaking in Stapleton Lounge at 7 about how she struggled with an eating disorder, but the love and support here at SMC helped her through. After her talk, head over to the Regina lounge for body positive, super relaxing yoga!
Finally, end LYBW with a super amazing documentary, co-sponsored by BAVO and the Center for Spirituality. Pornland is only 30 minutes long and explores how the media’s sexual objectification of women impacts our relationships and body image.
LYBW is so, so important, and I hope all SMC students make it their goal to attend some of the events to promote body positivity and celebrate what makes them beautiful!