As the holiday season approaches, Respecting and Understanding Body Image, an MSU student group, is trying to change unhealthy dieting habits and give women and men more confidence about their bodies.
The group has created body cards - fliers urging people to give up dieting and find happiness with their bodies. Each card has a set of two coupons with facts about dieting and the health risks involved.
The group has sent the cards to area businesses and local nutritionists and hopes to have them available in the dorms also.
“You lose so much more than just weight when you diet,” said Erin Ruth, project coordinator and nutritional sciences sophomore. “We are hoping to reach as many people as possible, it is such an important message everyone needs to hear.”
Respecting and Understanding Body Image began about two years ago to promote positive body images, positive diets and eating disorder awareness on campus. The group supports the idea that beauty comes in all sizes.
Ronda Bokram, an MSU nutritionist and the group’s adviser, said it is important to make students aware of eating disorders and poor body image. According to the group, 7 million women and 1 million men in America suffer from eating disorders.
“(College) students are at an age and an environment where it is easy to get caught up in placing external values of how people are rather than internal,” Bokram said. “We want students to get involved and we want them to know that there’s an organization out there promoting positive body image.”
The group sponsors different events during the year. On Tuesday night, the group and Campus Crusade for Christ sponsored a lecture from Stacey Kole, former Miss Arizona USA, who spoke about her personal struggles with an eating disorder.
Beth Weaver, the group’s president and a dietetics junior, said the organization’s main goal is eating disorder prevention.
“We really want to increase awareness about a healthy body image and prevent unhealthy eating and dieting habits from forming,” she said.
The group also has an ongoing project called stall stories.
“About once a month we put up new stories in the bathroom stalls informing people about eating disorders and body image,” Weaver said.
Katherine Fishburn, a professor of English and author of “Women in Popular Culture: a reference guide,” said she is glad there is a group promoting positive body image.
“I think we can always engage in changing ideology, calling attention to its negative effects on women and men,” she said.
Respecting and Understanding Body Image meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of every month at Olin Health Center. The meetings are open to anyone interested.
