My sister, Lisa, goes to Northwestern University and put the poster to the right on her facebook page. I glanced at it, and 
immediately loved the idea. A student organization “Active Minds” is asking average students at the University to submit pictures of themselves with their clothing off (without showing anything inappropriate) and without showing their faces to put a cute slogan on a whiteboard or paper and say something positive about that part of their body. I asked her if there were more pictures like the one in this poster. She said yes, go HERE. So I did.
The pictures on this blog are the ones I found on that website. I loved the clever ways people wrote about their bodies and that everyone seems comfortable in their own skin. In a way, it reminds me of the POST SECRET website where people anonymously send in secrets about themselves they’ve never told anyone, and they are viewable publicly on the internet. But unlike PostSecret, this community is just college kids and they’re saying that instead of giving in to the public perception of how bodies “should” be, this is simply the way they are and they’re proud of that and they’re willing to put it in a public place.
I can’t wait to see the kinds of pictures people post, and am also curious to see if anyone will send in a picture of a scar they’re proud of, or if people will send in pictures of their tattoos or piercings like what we’ve discussed in class. I am going to continue to follow this project even after I post this blog and I encourage you to do the same.
The goal of this project by Northwestern University’s “Active Minds” is that they will have lots of pictures of average people who like their bodies the way they are and they will be displayed at the university for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week at the end of March. I couldn’t be happier with this idea.
As a child, I was a ballet dancer, and I was severely underweight. But I thought I looked great because the standard in that 
environment was, and is, that you are not supposed to have excessive body weight, even in areas like your hips and breasts where you should be gaining weight at puberty. I was exposed to eating disorders at a very young age and know several people who have suffered and nearly died from them.I really like the idea that they’re promoting eating disorder awareness and simultaneously promoting a positive body image. In fact, I like the idea so much I want to start something like this at UMBC. So my question is, if I did, would you join me, and do you think other people would join in?
I’m surprised nobody has commented on this yet, because it’s absolutely brilliant. I think that if you started this you’d have a surprising amount of participation, especially since people aren’t showing their faces. It’s important for everyone to be comfortable with their bodies, so awareness on eating disorders is a wonderful project. I wonder if I could get something like this started at my university too.
I think it’s a great idea to support positive body image! I, too, think you will get a lot of help from people on campus.
What a great idea. I think and would hope that people would do this project. I would love to participate and have friends that I am sure would do it as well.
When I turned about 7 or 8, I gained a lot of weight. I have spent much of my life since then being a heavier woman. Between societal beauty ideals in my face and teasing from my peers, I developed a really negative self-view.
As an adult, I have gotten to attend events where people can choose to be naked if they wish. I remember seeing a woman dancing around a fire. She was naked and must have been about 300 pounds. I don’t think I had ever seen such beauty before. She was so alive and free. It is strange to think that nudity in the right environment and context can do a great deal to heal the pains of negative body images.
Thanks for sharing your story along with drawing attention to this great project!