In a culture that throws shame on so many unnecessary things, a person’s body certainly should not be one of them.
Outreach and Advocacy: Sexuality Information for Students, a student organization on campus, hopes to change that.
OASIS is hosting ETSU’s annual Love Your Body Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 18 in the D.P. Culp Center Ballroom.
“Love Your Body Day is part of National Eating Disorder Awareness week,” said OASIS coordinator Kate Emmerich. “NEDA is co-sponsored by the [Basler Center for Physical Activity] and the wellness committee. They always contribute by hosting this specific event.”
Love Your Body Day was started by the National Organization for Women, but Emmerich said the event is intended for everyone on campus.
“A lot of colleges and universities and communities have an event like this all over the nation,” Emmerich said.
“The idea is to challenge the stereotypes and expectations of a woman’s value and a woman’s beauty through the media and through our mainstream culture. The event isn’t specifically tailored to women because everyone is invited; however, that’s where the idea of Love Your Body Day originated.”
The event will be comprised of 17 to 18 booths hosted by different campus and community organizations.
“Every station has some sort of interactive activity that involves loving your body or something that has to do with challenging this mainstream expectation of beauty and self-love,” Emmerich said.
There will be a variety of different organizations represented, but Emmerich said that a massage booth offered by Jones Chiropractic and other similar “relaxation stations” tend to be the most popular.
Health resources will also be available to students, featuring important women’s health information like how to self-conduct a breast exam. Material will also be provided concerning prevention of sexual abuse and violence.
OASIS along with other campus organizations such as HEROES, the Women’s Studies program, Women’s Resource Center and Kappa Delta are sponsors of the event.
Various community establishments, like Wheeler’s Bagels, have also donated door prizes for students who attend the Love Your Body Day event.
“The ultimate goal of the event will be in line with the work of OASIS, which is to teach students how to engage in positive, healthy sexual and relational encounters in order to prevent things like sexual assault and relationship violence and gender violence,” Emmerich said.
“It all ties into events like this, which are about teaching students to look at and take care of their bodies in a healthy way, not necessarily what mainstream culture says that they should be.”
