By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Fort Hays State University’s Health and Wellness Center hosted a Love Your Selfie event Feb. 25 in the Memorial Union.
Students wrote something positive about themselves on a whiteboard and posed for a Polaroid picture in front of a gold tassel backdrop.
The event was aimed to boost body confidence during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
The National Eating Disorder Awareness helpline has experienced a 107% increase in contacts since the start of the pandemic, and 28.8 million Americans experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
Body image dissatisfaction is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder.
“It’s sadly not uncommon to dislike your appearance, but people who develop eating disorders are more likely to report higher levels of body image dissatisfaction and an internalization of the appearance ideal,” NEDA’s website says.
By age 6, girls start expressing concerns about their appearance and weight and 40% to 60% of school-age girls (ages 6-12) say they are concerned about their weight and gaining weight.
While females are typically impacted more, eating disorders can affect anyone. During the last decade, clinics have seen an increase in male eating disorder patients. NEDA is not sure whether that is linked to an increase in the number of males with eating disorders or if more male patients are seeking help.
NEDA emphasizes eating disorders are not a choice. They are complex medical and psychiatric illnesses. Genetic, biological, environmental and social elements all play a role.
Keeping a positive body image is a preventative strategy for avoiding an eating disorder.
“The body-positive movement is making great strides to promote size diversity, body acceptance and a healthier body image for all ages, genders, races, abilities, etc.,” NEDA said. “It is important that we continue to embrace body diversity by recognizing all bodies as good bodies.”
For those struggling with body positivity or who would like to be screened for eating disorders, Health and Wellness Services is a free resource for students.
“Anybody who is struggling with mental health or is experiencing some difficulty with body positivity, absolutely stop by,” counseling services intern Audrie Burge-Meyer said. “We’ve got a lot of good counselors there that can help with those things.”