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Club & Greek

Delta Phi Epsilon Hosts Annual ANAD Vigil

Delta Phi Epsilon sorority hosted their annual ANAD Vigil event via Zoom on on Wednesday, March 3. Not only this, but the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon also spent the week doing many different Instagram challenges and other social media events to raise both money and awareness for one of their national philanthropies, which is the National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders (ANAD).

The event was planned by the Delta Omega chapter’s Vice President of Programing, Sophia Edwards.

The main purpose of Delta Phi Epsilon’s annual ANAD Vigil is to show support and recognize those who struggle with eating disorders, as well as to educate and help people find a support system and different forms of treatment. According to one of the videos published by ANAD, which was presented at the event, close to 30 million people struggle with some form of eating disorder; 20 million often being women and close to 10 million being men.

In today’s day in age with social media and the internet being as popular as it is, it is very common to be subjected to internet influence as well as the unrealistic beauty standards of the media. Millions of people are exposed to these expectations every day and are willing to do anything to fit into this image that society demands. This can lead to many damaging effects in the future. Delta Phi Epsilon is dedicated to breaking these unrealistic expectations and demonstrating the importance of body positivity, building self-esteem, and loving yourself the way you are.Delta Phi 2

During the vigil, three different speakers took part in explaining their own personal eating disorder story and how they have grown and found recovery from their past experiences. One speaker was Molly McElroy, who is the creator and founder of the Beautiful Me campaign, which was established in 2013. McElroy suffered from anorexia nervosa within her early years of high school and went through a major battle but came out stronger. She even spoke in front of her whole high school about the challenges she had been facing and how she found recovery, and from that moment was committed to helping people who are in similar situations.

“Your self-esteem won’t come from body parts. You need to step away from the mirror every once in a while, and look for another reflection, like the one in the eyes of the people who love you and admire you,” said McEllroy.

Along with the Vigil, the different Instagram challenges to raise awareness included “No Makeup Monday” and “Take Your Hair Down Tuesday.” It encouraged girls to upload their own photos as a way of demonstrating how important it is to feel beautiful in your own skin, and to not let society define what beauty is.

You can learn more about the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders at anad.org, as well as through the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon within the Monmouth Community.

 

PHOTO COURTESY of Delta Phi Epsilon Delta Omega

IMAGE TAKEN from Delta Phi Epsilon Delta Omega