Body Positive Club helps students redefine the meaning of beauty

Students promote love and respect for the shape and size of all bodies

Half of Mayfield students said they go on diets because “I hate the way I look or want to lose weight.” Nearly three quarters of girls said that at some point in their lives they would have felt happier if they looked different. When asked if they could change one thing about their appearance, 72% said “the shape of my body.”

These responses to a school-wide survey reflect the prevalence of body image issues among many teenage girls. The survey was initiated by Mayfield’s largest club, Body Positive, which helps students develop skills to live peacefully and healthily in their own bodies.

At a powerful assembly, club leaders and their advisor released the results of the survey taken by 230 of our 330 students, and spoke to the importance of redefining beauty.

“The purpose of the survey is not to show that we lack confidence or are insecure,” said co-chair Lucy Howell ’20. “It’s to show that we all share the same issues; no one is alone. We are opening a dialogue because we want to improve ourselves and accept the uniqueness of our bodies.”

With more than 100 members, the popularity of the new club demonstrates that Mayfield students have the courage to address societal pressures about womens’ body image, Lucy and co-chair Haley Eaves ’20 explained.

“I think it has resonated with a lot of girls because you can’t escape the pressure of social media influence,” Haley said. “Girls are raised to look pretty, perfect, neat, put together and sophisticated. And if we are not all those things, it’s easy to feel insecure and it begins to take a toll on your mental health.”

School Counselor and club advisor Cristina Perez addresses students at the first-ever Body Positive assembly

One survey question asked if social media has impacted their self esteem. The majority of respondents, 78%, said yes. Lucy explained that high school girls are conditioned to feel good about themselves when their appearance is praised by others, “versus having confidence and a feeling of self-worth.” School Counselor Cristina Perez, who has worked extensively with club members, opened the assembly with a with a quote:

“Your body is an instrument, not an ornament.” The words are from Lindsay Kite, Ph.D., a leader in the growing “body positive” movement, which embraces the philosophy that all bodies are created equal.

Ms. Perez told students that body positivity is about “deciding what feels good and healthy for you personally, and letting other people do so for themselves.” It’s not about being selfabsorbed or judging others.

She asked students to embrace the amazing feats and phases of their female bodies, and how that body will change during the chapters of their lives.

Ms. Perez and several students also discussed eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, explaining that such conditions are not lifestyle choices, but are caused by complex biological, psychological and social factors.

In a strong response to media and marketing images of women’s bodies in the fashion industry, Zoe Cerillo ’19 took hold of the microphone during the assembly and decried popular brands that “try to fit women into a standard of being perfect. It’s honestly unattainable.

“Society has made women out to be thin, tall, blonde and blue-eyed—and there is nothing wrong with that—but not everyone looks like that,” she said. While Zoe applauds the inclusion of plus-size models in many media images, she lamented that women “in the middle”—women of all sizes, including those whose thighs touch, women who are short, women who have body fat— should all be portrayed in the media.

Haley and Lucy poured hours into planning the assembly and other club activities throughout the year that focused on wellness, mindfulness and fun. During one meeting students gathered with paints and markers and drew the colors of their “aura,” with soft rock music playing in the background.

Students draw their “aura” at a Body Positive Club meeting

A nutritionist, munching on a turkey sandwich on wheat, met with the club during a brown bag lunch and fielded the girls’ dietary questions: Is eating ice cream bad? What if I’m hungry all the time? What if I eat when I’m bored? What’s the best diet? “Healthy eating is about balance and having a healthy mental relationship with food,” the nutritionist told them. “We are so hyper-focused on weight and constantly berating our bodies that we lose focus on how our bodies are functioning. Shift to self care, not the diet mentality.”

Haley and Lucy said they intend to continue the club next year. By simply getting girls to talk in positive ways about their bodies, “we’re spreading something bigger,” Haley said. Also, students are encouraged to speak out about issues, especially body shaming.

“Some of my guy friends make comments all the time, like ‘she’s not pretty’ or whatever,” Haley said. “Now instead of letting comments like that just go by, we call them on it. You just can’t say that about another person.”

Body Positive Club co-founders Lucy Howell ’20 and Haley Eaves ’20 advocate acceptance and appreciation for every body

The club’s message can best be summed up with another quote from Dr. Kite, selected by Ms. Perez:

“There is no beauty finish line you have to cross before you deserve to feel good about yourself. You are worthy of love exactly the way you are.”

There is no beauty finish line you have to cross before you deserve to feel good about yourself. You are worthy of love exactly the way you are.

— LINDSAY KITE, PH.D.