Celebrate Your Body Week

February 24-28, 2013

Feb. 24-28, 2013 marks the National Eating Disorders Association’s (NEDA) annual National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The University of South Carolina will commemorate this week with a number of events to promote positive body image. Carolina Beautiful: Celebrate Your Body Week helps students view their bodies in a positive way to prevent the development of body image issues and eating disorders.

 

Oval: On any given day, 25% of American men and 45% of American women are on a diet.Statistics

  • Currently, there are as many as 10 million women and 1 million men struggling with a life-threatening eating disorder, such as anorexia and bulimia, in the United States.
  •  Millions more struggle with binge eating disorder.
  •  Many others fight a daily struggle with body dissatisfaction. In fact, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance.

Disordered eating and body dissatisfaction struggles are prevalent among college students. A recent study suggests:

  • More than 18% of college students engage in compulsive exercise
  • More than 7% engage in compulsive eating behaviors

A recent survey on a college campus found:

  • 91% of women surveyed had attempted to control their weight through dieting
  • 22% dieted “often” or “always”
  • 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.

Association, N. E. (2005). Statistics: Eating Disorders and Their Precursors. Retrieved January 6, 2012, from National Eating Disorders Association: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/uploads/file/Statistics%20%20Updated%20Feb%2010,%202008%20B.pdf

Guidi, J. P. (2009). Prevalence of compulsive eating an exercise among college students: An exploratory study. Psychiatry Research , 165, 154-162.

Events

Beautiful Lengths

Sunday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m., Russell House Ballroom

Keep those locks long! Grow you hair for Beautiful Lengths and make a difference!

Are you planning on a haircut in the next few months? Considering a major style change? Do you “go short” every spring?
If so, wait until Feb. 24 to make the cut, and you can make a difference in a cancer patient’s life by donating your hair toward a wig during the Carolina Beautiful: Beautiful Lengths event.

Sponsored by Student Health Services Campus Wellness, Changing Carolina Peer Leaders, Campus Recreation, Carolina Productions, Women’s Student Services and Tri Delta Sorority, Carolina Beautiful week offers five days of events, services and speakers that promote positive body image during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Beautiful Lengths participants must have eight inches of hair to donate. Male and female students, faculty and staff of all ages and ethnicities and their friends and families are all invited. All hair types, colors and textures are needed!

What will you get?

  • A FREE haircut from an experienced stylist
  • A goodie bag of giveaways from local boutiques and shops in Columbia
  • The amazing feeling that comes from giving your hair to such a great cause

What will you give?

The priceless feeling of self-confidence to a cancer patient

Beautiful Lengths will take place Sunday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom. Seats are limited, and reservations are required. Contact Amy Yanicak at BeautifulLengthsUSC@gmail.com to save your seat today.

Take this opportunity to make a statement that you don’t hide behind your hair—you’re proud of who you are underneath!

For more information about Carolina Beautiful events, call 803-576-9393.

Campus Wellness offers convenient and accessible programs and services to support and encourage students, faculty and staff to strive for optimal health by incorporating healthy behaviors into daily living. Learn more at www.sa.sc.edu/shs/cw.

One in three women will develop some form of cancer in her lifetime. Hair loss is one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment, and it can be especially traumatic for a woman fighting cancer. Learn more at www.beautifullengths.com.

Mirrorless Monday

Monday, Feb. 25 – Throughout Campus
Look around campus for positive messages about how our bodies provide strength, stamina, grace and ability to perform our daily activities. You might find a favorite affirmation!

FREE Yoga Class!

Monday, Feb. 25 – Strom Wellness & Fitness Center
Campus Recreation is hosting a free Yoga class to celebrate our bodies! Join us at the Strom Wellness & Fitness Center at 7:30 pm Monday. Come and exercise without judgment, without competition and with only the expectation to appreciate your body’s abilities!

The Main Event:

An Evening with Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without ED and Goodbye ED, Hello Me
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m., Russell House Ballroom

Keynote Speaker: Jenni Schaefer, author Life without ED; Goodbye ED, Hello Me
Jenni Schaefer often says, "I have never been married, but I am happily divorced." In her talk, Life Without Ed, Jenni reveals that she is "divorced" from her eating disorder. She explains the unique approach to eating disorder recovery that is described in her book, Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too (McGraw-Hill 2004). Treating her illness like a relationship—rather than a condition—Jenni actually named her eating disorder, Ed (an acronym for "eating disorder").

Throughout her recovery process, she separated from and ultimately divorced Ed. In Life Without Ed, Jenni shares her personal struggle with anorexia and bulimia explaining how the illness began, what it was like, and how she got help. She shares a lifetime of experience—from struggles with body image at the age of four to the absolute freedom that she experiences today.

Redefining recovery, Jenni explains that full freedom does not just mean leaving “Ed” behind, but it also means finding yourself. It means finding joy and peace in life. Discussing her personal recovery journey, Jenni's presentation addresses making peace with food, learning how to love your body, and overcoming perfectionism. She also discusses Societal Ed (society’s eating disorder) and the mixed messages we all hear about food and our bodies. Jenni encourages listeners not to let an eating disorder or any other illness define their lives. She says, “Discover your true passions, follow your dreams, and never give up.

FREE Zumba Class!

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m., Strom Wellness & Fitness Center
Campus Recreation is hosting a free Zumba class to celebrate our bodies! Join us at the Strom Wellness & Fitness Center at 5:30 pm Wednesday. Come and exercise without judgment, without competition and with only the expectation to appreciate your body’s abilities!

Me, Myself & My Body – Student Discussion

Thursday, Feb. 28, 5:30 p.m., Honors Residence Hall Room B 110
Student Health Services Changing Carolina Peer Leaders are hosting a discussion about why so many of us struggle with our body image. The purpose of the event is to provide students with an open forum to discuss and share their struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with food, physical activity and body image.

Additional Events

There will be opportunities for creative expression and celebrating what makes us unique, wonderful and beautiful.

NEDA Walk

Saturday, March. 2, 1:30-3:00 p.m., Carolina Children’s Home
The National Eating Disorders Association walk is March 2 2013. Join us as we take a stand to support those struggling with issues of body image and disordered eating. For more information: www.nedawalks.org/columbiasc2013

 

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