Saint Mary’s 5th annual Love Your Body Week (LYBW) takes place this week, with the goal of addressing all of the struggles students may have with their bodies in hopes to transform negative perceptions into positive self-images.
Love Your Body Week event co-chair and senior Chloe Deranek explained how the main goal of the week's events is to show support for achieving positive body images for all students in the best way possible.
“The mission of the week is to help the Saint Mary’s community come together in a way that supports and loves positive body image through healthy eating and exercise,” Deranek said.
According to Deranek, the main goal of the week is essential, but can also be expanded to include an emphasis on the importance of taking care of one’s self.
“This includes treating yourself, because lots of things go into being a healthy person,” Deranek said. “The overall goal is to help girls love themselves for who they are.”
The week kicked off Sunday evening with a mass in Le Mans Chapel, followed by a "Hairspray" movie-watch in Vander Vennet Theater in the Student Center with sundaes, Kaitlyn Tarullo, event co-chair and senior, said.
On Monday, a student panel in which women shared their personal stories of eating disorders was designed to show students that they are not alone in the struggle with body image.
“It puts a face to someone who may be struggling in silence to say, ‘Someone’s been there and this is how they’ve gotten help,’” Deranek said. “A lot of times, especially with eating disorders, it’s hard to acknowledge a problem, and you feel on your own, so a student panel is a very good way to show people they are not alone.”
LYBW will continue on Tuesday with an event titled, "A Mother/Daughter Journey on 'The Biggest Loser,'" featuring a former mother and daughter team on the popular weight-loss show.
Marci and Courtney Crozier of Valapraiso, Indiana, will share their stories of each losing nearly 100 pounds on the program and how they have maintained healthy lifestyles that continue to inspire thousands of followers on social media since the airing of the show, Tarullo said.
“[It’s] really exciting because sometimes obesity gets overlooked during Love Your Body Week and really the week is about being healthy as a whole, not just eating disorders,” Tarullo said. “We want to remind girls that it includes loving yourself overall, and we think that having the Croziers here to share their story will be a great addition to the week."
On Thursday, the popular event 'Yoga and Yogurt' will be held in Angela Athletic Center at 7:30 p.m., but Deranek said that they’ve added a slight twist this year.
“We are continuing the tradition, but we are putting a little spin on it with a Throwback Thursday and 90s theme,” Deranek said.
Love Your Body Week will conclude Friday with a "Treat Yo' Self" event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center. There, students will have the opportunity to be pampered by local boutiques, salons and a bakery serving gourmet cupcakes, Tarullo said.
Tarullo explained this year’s mission differs from previous years by addressing all of the ways positive body image can be affected in order to relate to a broader audience.
“I think the emphasis used to be on a lot of eating disorders,” Tarullo said. “Getting this position this year, Chloe and I made it our goal to make it more well-rounded and include everybody who is fighting this battle.”
Deranek added, “We are just trying to broaden what Love Your Body Week encompasses.”
