Hi, everyone. My name is Danielle and I’ve been on the Advisory Board of EWP & The Dressing Room Project for a few years now. As an undergraduate at Manhattanville College, I decided to start my own Action Team in the fall of 2008.
Yet rather than having my teammates simply distributing The Dressing Room Project’s positive body image cards in local fitting rooms, I also wanted the group to be an official on-campus club where students could exchange creative thoughts, ideas and concerns about body image in the media and in the local community while having a good time and forgetting about work for a while.
A group of about 15 women, we convened twice a month—every other Tuesday evening—to work on creative projects in a nurturing, judgment-free environment. I would like to share with you a few of our activities. Try them in your own Action Teams!
Also, please feel free to comment and add suggestions for other DRP Action Team members.
Feel-good slumber parties. Invite Action Team members to a “treat your body right” night. Serve healthy snacks such as popcorn drizzled with agave nectar and cinnamon and good-for-you drinks such as orange-mango “mocktails.” Wrap your hair in towels and smear cold cream or mud masques on your face. Give each other manicures and pedicures. Let it all go and have a good time!
Magazine collages. Let’s face it: magazines with air-brushed supermodels on the covers can often make us feel bad about our own physiques. Yet sometimes you’ll find phrases and photos in magazines that can help you create a positive body image collage. A good example is L’Oreal’s “Because You’re Worth It.”
Be creative. Mount your collages on neon paper. With the permission of store managers/owners and school administration, post them along with your DRP body image cards. Be sure to always use environmentally-friendly tape that will not damage public property and put the Dressing Room Project URL (
www.thedressingroomproject.org) on each collage you post so that people will remember the project. Who knows, maybe your efforts will motivate others to start an Action Team, too.
Celebrate “Love Your Body Day” on October 18 by screening films such as "Real Women Have Curves." If you have questions on getting permission to show the film to a large audience, we can help you get the information you need.
Get a group together and learn a fun physical activity such as a dance or exercise routine. Loving your body means taking good care of it. And that includes eating well and exercising!!
Strike up discussions or debates about body image in our society: media, music, and literature. Lauren Greenfield’s HBO documentary "Thin" is a good one to watch with a smaller group of people (this way, everyone gets a chance to give their own thoughts about the film).
Talk about eating disorders and what you can do to prevent them. Gather information from
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.If you can think of any other ideas, please post them in the “comments” section. Let’s get a discussion going!
Be Well and Be Happy.
~Danielle
