The University Counseling and Testing Center is offering an All Sizes Fit campaign throughout the week of Feb. 10-14, aiming to increase awareness about the “health at all sizes” philosophy and focus on positive body image.
The campaign is intended to help members of the UO community think more broadly about health and decrease size discrimination. It includes presentations, activities and awareness to promote acceptance of all body shapes and sizes. The goal is to encourage the UO community to focus on healthy behaviors such as moderate exercise, healthy and flexible eating patterns, and emotional health – as opposed to specific size or weight.
“Due to societal pressures, it is not uncommon for individuals to focus more on achieving a particular weight and size than on an overall sense of health,” said Liz Asta of the Counseling and Testing Center.
The All Sizes Fit campaign philosophy stems from three main components: accepting and respecting the natural diversity of body sizes and shapes; eating in a flexible manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety and appetite; and finding the joy in moving one’s body and becoming more physically vital.
Americans spend more than $40 billion annually on dieting and diet-related products; that's roughly the amount that the federal government spends on education each year. Negative body image can lead to eating disorders, feelings of depression, low self-esteem and obsession with weight loss. The campaign aims to increase awareness of these issues among students, faculty, and staff.
Highlights of the weeklong campaign include:
A Dance for Every Body Class, held by Ragan Chastain, a health at all sizes advocate and researcher. The dance class will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 4 p.m. in SRC 41.
A campus presentation by Ragan called “The Positive Body: Real Options for Health, Happiness, and High Self-esteem Starting Wherever You Are, Right Now.” The presentation will be held Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the EMU Gumwood Room; all campus and Eugene community members are invited to attend.
An interactive workshop exploring biases about size and weight will be held on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in Gerlinger 246.
A full list of the week's activities and presentations is available on the UCTC website. For more information about Health at All Sizes, please go to http://www.haescommunity.org/.
-by Sarah MacKenzie, UO Office of Strategic Communications intern