The Love Your Body Fair was held at the University of Arizona to promote healthy living. The pressure to look and be a certain way is generating a low self-esteem on campus. This program allowed students to open up and describe what they like most about their bodies and what makes them stand out from the rest.
Standing at one the booths at the fair, Lauren Ramsey, a junior studying Public Health, discussed what the program means to her, “It is a way to empower women to feel confident and beautiful in their own bodies without conforming to what society thinks we should look like.” Lauren’s booth was called ‘The Garden of Beauty’. The mission was to have students pledge to do something this week, at least once, that they wouldn’t usually do because of low self-esteem.
Another student at the fair, Hannah Ridinger agreed with the program and said, “it is really a good idea, people get too caught up on body image.”
There are programs on campus that should inspire students to live a healthy lifestyle. The Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) provides events all year round. SHAC has teamed up with The Campus Health Services to create a cooking class at the Rec Center. This hands-on class allows students to learn delicious, affordable and nutritional meals. Not only are the student’s taught by an actual chef but also the classes are only $5 each. Lets be honest, who wouldn’t want to take this cooking class and discover how confident they can be in the kitchen? The classes are held on Tuesdays from 5:15-6:30 pm. For the class schedule and some great recipes, visit: uacookingoncampus.com.
UA doesn’t take food/body image concerns lightly. There are always counselors on campus to look out for the students at the Counseling and Psych Services (CAPS).