Members of Ohio State’s Body Sense will tackle the pressing issues of body image and the marketing industry tonight at the RPAC.
“The Perfect Body: Undressing the Lies” is the first event to be hosted by Body Sense, a new organization at OSU.
For Kelsi Schwall, the president of Body Sense, the desire to promote a positive body image on campus developed from her own personal struggles.
“Before starting the organization, I dealt with issues with my own self image and negative body image,” said Schwall, a second-year in psychology. “After overcoming some of those issues, I began to feel really strongly about finding a way to help other people who are struggling.”
Schwall emphasized the importance of developing this positive body image during college.
“College is a time when most people are developing a sense of who they are and what they want to do,” she said. “It is a crucial time to build a positive self-esteem.”
Blaine McKinney, also a second-year in psychology and vice president of Body Sense, realizes the pressure that students encounter from media messages.
“Students are surrounded with ads featuring very thin women and very muscular men,” McKinney said. “We want students to know that this is not the norm, that the average body is yours and not the one in the ads in Cosmopolitan.”
Schwall shares a similar perspective.
“I want students to understand that the images we see are not real, not attainable, not healthy,” she said. “We need to learn to be critical consumers of the messages they send.”
The media’s role in defining self-image is just one of the many topics that will be discussed at the event. The presentation will also offer information about fad diets and supplements, and about how to gain or lose weight in a healthy way.
“I sincerely hope students will gain an appreciation for their bodies and an insight into their own body image,” said Alyssa Newell, a third-year in criminology. “I also hope students will gain a better understanding of balanced nutrition and exercise.”
McKinney said the presentation could be a strong starting point for Body Sense.
“My goals are to become a reliable source of information around campus and raise awareness of the causes of negative body image, as well as how to counteract that effect,” he said.
The Body Sense event will take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight in RPAC Meeting Room Two.
