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Love Your Body!
by Cindy Kuzma, 10.18.05
"We know that if people have a positive sense of self, they are more likely to take care of their bodies and their sexual selves by using protection and being responsible." |
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"Your bourbon has a great body and fine character," reads an ad for a popular brand of liquor. "I wish the same could be said for my girlfriend."
This and other negative ads are critiqued on the Love Your Body Day Web site, a project of the National Organization for Women Foundation, which battles the negative media images that can make girls and women believe their bodies are unacceptable and need constant improvement.
These types of images send the wrong messages about strength, power, and the place of women in society — and they touch everyone, says Natasha Keller, community outreach educator at Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes (PPSFL) in New York.
"The negative messages and images in the media become more ubiquitous all the time, affecting men as well as women," she says. "It's important to counter that with positive messages. We know that if people have a positive sense of self, they are more likely to take care of their bodies and their sexual selves by using protection and being responsible."
That's why Keller and her co-workers at PPSFL are holding workshops and special events during Love Your Body Week, October 16-22. For example, there's Raising Largely Positive Kids, a program on October 18 that works with parents and other adults to help young people improve their body image and self-esteem. PPSFL will also be bringing in The Century Project, a photo exhibit that features women of all ages — from one day to 100 years — and sends the message that everyone's body is worthy and one-of-a-kind.
Spread the Love
Even if you don't live in New York, there's a lot you can do to celebrate Love Your Body Day:
- Change your routine. Steer clear of beauty magazines and "extreme makeover shows"; instead, head outdoors and try a new physical activity that's fun and makes you feel good. Skip stepping on the scale — if you're trying to lose weight, change your goal so you're aiming to be healthy instead of to fit in a new pair of jeans.
- Get creative. Enter the NOW Foundation's 2006 Love Your Body poster contest. Design a poster with a positive image or a strong message and submit it by March 1, 2006. Or make a collage for your home or locker with ads that empower women or feature non-traditional depictions of beauty.
- Redefine beauty. Host a mock beauty pageant. Make it a trivia contest, a debate, or a tire-changing competition. Keep the games friendly to counter the cutthroat competitiveness of real beauty pageants.
- Raise your awareness. Check the NOW Foundation's Web site to get the facts about negative advertising. Pay attention to the posters in the stores where you shop and take a close look at the ads in magazines — if they're not positive, write a letter to the editor or sponsor, or take your business elsewhere.
- Think positive. Acknowledge stores and other businesses whose ads portray women positively. If you notice these types of images in a magazine or newspaper, write a letter to the editor praising them for their choices.
Above all, make sure your own words and actions reflect respect toward yourself and others. Don't laugh at fat jokes, and take an extra minute to congratulate a friend for a recent accomplishment that doesn't include dieting. If girls, women, boys, and men treat each other as the strong, unique creatures they are, advertisers will have to start getting the message. |
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