Club & Greek

Change the Conversation

Increasing Awareness About Body Image Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders


How many times a day do friends make comments about their weight? How often do people worry about losing just a few more pounds? In today’s society, these questions may yield pretty high numbers.

“I think probably five or more times a day girls think about their body weight,” said sophomore Sarah VanVilet. It comes with no surprise that eating disorders run rampant through our society. The disorder of anorexia nervosa, which aff licts nearly one million young girls each year, can be caused by an increasingly large number of reasons.

“Part of the problem,” said Danielle Rodriguez, a sophomore, is “that eating disorders are so common people don’t realize what is going on in other people’s heads. Words or actions can have a huge impact on someone else.” Previously known here at the University as “Fat Talk Free Week,” “Change the Conversation” is an attempt at changing the way people see and treat eating disorders.

Katherine Parkin, Assoicate Professor of History and Anthropology, said, “Instead of placing value on intelligence, kindness, or humor, our society only wants women to be thin. Our hope with Change the Conversation is to shift the pressure away from appearance as the only value.”

The nation-wide campaign aims to switch the focus society has placed on body appearance. The mission is to raise awareness about the destructive effects that come along with society’s ideal body image. By acknowledging the cognitive parts of anorexia and bulimia, we can start to change the physical behaviors associated with food refusal disorders. Thanks to extensive work by Professor of Health Studies Andrea Hope, and Professor Parkin, the following programs have been brought to our campus to help change the conversation here at the University.

This past Monday on October 15, a lecture on the history of anorexia nervosa was held in Wilson Hall. The lecture was on the book, “Fasting Girls: Then and Now” by Cornell Professor Joan Jacobs Brumberg, which discusses the beginnings of anorexia. Brumberg has won multiple awards for her research on the history of women’s foodrefusal. Her work is a representation of female self-denial dating back all the way to the sixteenth century. The frequency to deprive oneself from food has resulted from religious, scientific, and societal inf luences. “Fasting Girls: Then and Now” is a look at how culture inf luences eating disorders. Joan Brumberg offers an insightful understanding of victims who have struggled with eating disorders.

On Tuesday, October 16, the University sponsored two programs associated to body image disorders. The first was at 4:30pm in Plangere, a performance of “Hauntings: Marking Flesh, Time, Memory” by Tessa Carr and Communication Professor Deanna Shoemaker. The performance used hula hoops, soundscapes, photographs and live performances to explore themes such as decay, loss, desire and transformative discovery through the ageing of the female body. Carr and Shoemaker encourage audiences to contemplate the happiness and fear that come with living in the here and now. The second seminar “Bulimia: Secret Cycle of Consumption” was held in the Green Room of the MAC. Vanessa Christensen, Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Men’s Basketball team, and Chuck Whedon, Associate Director for Sports Medicine, as well as a number of student athletes participated in a discussion on how bulimia effects our student athletes. Change the Conversation week is already half-way over; nevertheless, there are plenty of activities for students to come out for.

On Thursday, October 18, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Turrell Board Room in Bey Hall, there will be a film screening of “Someday Melissa” followed by a discussion panel. The film discusses the life of a 19-year-old girl who died from her struggle with bulimia nervosa. The panel discussion will include students recovering from the disease, as well as Monmouth’s own Vic Avon. Avon has been featured in The New York Times as well as NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams for his work in breaking gender stigma’s associated with eating disorders.

Additional activities supporting, “Change the Conversation” include Yoga for Spirit on Wednesday, October 17, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm in the Boylan Gymnasium in the MAC (south side). There is also an open blog where students can share their thoughts and experiences at https://podcast.monmouth.edu/users/aforsman/