Celebrate your body

Some girls grow up playing with Barbie dolls.

Some boys play with GI Joe.

According to Jenna Pool, health educator at the Texas Tech University Student Health Sciences Center, because of idealistic images from society, such as Barbie and GI Joe, people grow up with a misunderstanding of what a healthy body image is.

“Ever since we were little, society has kind of pressured us to look a certain way,” she said. “I think it is important to know what healthy body image is, and to strive for that rather than this fake image of computerized perfection.”

Last week, several departments from across Tech campus joined for Feed Your Body and Soul Week 2010. During the week, several events taught students how to take care of their body and soul, fight unhealthy body image and ultimately celebrate healthy body image.

Body image, defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others. With a culture obsessed with beauty, people feel pressure to strive for a certain body image.

Katie Brown, psychologist at the student counseling center, said both men and women in college are prone to develop unhealthy habits because of this pressure.

“There’s just pressure for each of us in each developmental stage, but certainly college is a time of risk for eating disorder,” Brown said. “It’s your first time out on your own, so it’s stressful. It can become a coping mechanism, but on top of that, you’re not under your parent’s supervision anymore. So you might change your eating habits because of that.”

The weeklong celebration held a variety of events focused towards college students. These events ranged from a belly-dancing class to a gourmet cooking class using only a microwave. All to promote finding more meaningful and lasting ways to feel good about oneself.

Pool said the staff from the eating disorder program at the Center for Addiction and Recovery has seen a positive response from past events.

“They have seen that Feed Your Body and Soul has helped a lot those students and a lot of their clients,” Pool said. “It kind of gives them an avenue to express their issues. It’s kind of a personal event for them. It’s really great for them, but then I think it’s also great for those other college students who haven’t admitted that they have a problem yet.”