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BODY
IMAGE FOR CONTEMPORARY WOMEN IS TOPIC OF BARNARD-GLAMOUR MAGAZINE
FORUM
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From
left to right: Cindi Leive, Betsey Lerner, Michael Michele,
Polly Wheat, Jane Clayson, Jessica Cannon
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The first
time Dr. Polly Wheat began exercising regularly was when she
went to medical school in California. Between classes and
rounds at the hospital, she joined friends in a regular jogging
club. The group celebrated by running a marathon together
when they graduated and vowed to come together again at age
70 to finish another one.
"That's when my relationship with food normalized and
I began to see how crucial movement and usage are for my well
being," Wheat said. Since then, she has continued an
active lifestyle while working as an advocate for women's
health issues, specifically in her role as director of health
services at Barnard College in New York City.
In honor of Glamour magazine's May 2003 "Body-Love
Wisdom" issue and Barnard's 10th anniversary of the Well-Woman
organization, Wheat joined five other panelists April 23rd
for a discussion on issues relating to women and their bodies.
Almost 150 people -- including many college students -- heard
comments from panelists such as CBS correspondent, Jane Clayson,
actor/mentor Michael Michele, and Betsy Lerner, author of
Food and Loathing: A Lament, and participated in a
question/answer session.
Judith
Shapiro and Cindi Leive |
"This
may be the first time a leading magazine and a women's health
department [at a college] have worked together to dispel the
myths associated with women and their bodies," said Barnard
President Judith Shapiro. "The state of our minds affects
our body and vice versa. As president of a women's college,
I'm concerned that so many women under [age] 25 experience
a majority of the problems related to body image."
Though some studies reveal that women generally are feeling
better about their bodies, many signs indicate otherwise,
according to Cindy Leive, Glamour editor-in-chief and
moderator of the discussion. "There is a 400 percent
increase in the number of women having plastic surgery today,
so I wonder if things are getting better or worse when it
comes to body image for women," Leive said.
Citing growing statistics of eating disorders, obesity and
plastic surgery among women in the United States, Wheat acknowledged
that while women might be more aware of their bodies, there
is an obvious disconnect between "the images we see out
there in the media and who we are. We measure ourselves against
what we see."
Betsey Lerner and Michael Michele |
Perfectionism
is that ideal and consequently, a growing problem among many
young women, who feel their bodies may not measure up, said
Michele, an actor known mostly for her roles in ER, Ali and
Dark Blue,and a mentor for young women in high school in Harlem.
Michele said many young women she works with want to look
like the women they see in television and films.
But the media isn't entirely to blame. Cultures throughout
history have been infatuated with beauty, said Lerner. "The
problem now is that girls want to be a size 2 or worse, size
zero," Lerner said. "As a result, we're spending
$4.8 billion a year on diet products, starving ourselves when
we could be feeding starving people with that money throughout
the world."
The results are troubling. Between increasingly sedentary
lifestyles, bigger food portions at restaurants, societal
pressures to look good and bad self esteem, young women face
a difficult environment to navigate. "Food becomes an
expression of psychological issues," Wheat said. "We've
even now successfully exported eating disorders to Asian,
Fiji, and South Africa. In other words, it is no longer just
an American problem."
With so many tensions, what can help a young woman feel better
about herself? Leive asked. Jessica Cannon, a Barnard senior
and peer educator at the Well-Woman center, suggested women
take an inventory of how people influence their thinking on
body image. "We need to think of our bodies more for
what they can do rather than what they look like."
Polly
Wheat and Jane Clayson |
"I
used to go to the gym to look good but I now go to feel better,"
said Jane Clayson, CBS News Correspondent. "Why? I know
I'll sleep better, feel better. We need to care for ourselves
for the right reasons because then the more confident you
are, the more beautiful you'll be."
Michele said sports played a huge role for her as a child
in giving her physical and emotional confidence. Parents also
need to affirm girls and encourage them to be themselves,
Lerner said.
Clayson also suggested moving beyond the obsession of who
we are and how we look and begin to develop a perspective
of gratitude. "Look at what you have rather than what
you don't have. Then go help someone else and get past the
self absorption while you serve others," she said.
Contact: Petra Tuomi, Barnard Office of Public Affairs, (212)
854-7907, ptuomi@barnard.edu
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