Rationale for Body Appreciation

Ann Cooper   

WST 4022      

Meredith Tweed

November 9, 2012

 

Rationale for Body Appreciation

            Physical, mental, and emotional health are major components when it comes to body appreciation.  As a group we would like the girls of the YWLP to understand that body appreciation does not simply just involve like the way one looks from the outside.  As a class we have read many texts on the body being all encompassing and exhausting projects of maintenance and upkeep.  As a group we want the girls to understand that “feeling good” and appreciating the body comes not from following the “rules” and “guidelines” set by society and the media; “feeling good” comes from following their own “guidelines” and also from supporting each other in this tough world.

            Nomy Lamm may be an unusual role model for the girls of the YWLP, but she makes some excellent points on body appreciation, “feeling good”, and individual differences in both.  Lamm’s comment “good health is not about being thin; it’s about doing things that are good for your body” (p.81).  While it is great to read and hear about a young woman with the strength of Lamm there are girls on the other end of the spectrum who are struggling and it is important for us to all us look at the results of this too.  Leonard Sax wrote about the abundance of young girls who are obviously not “feeling good” about themselves and as a consequence of this are cutting their bodies.  There can be many reasons why a young girl would cut themselves, but clearly there is something missing in their physical, mental, and emotional health.

 Our goal on the day of the body appreciation workshop is for each girl to understand the multi-dimensions of appreciating themselves and “feeling good.”  We would like for them to take away new ideas of what they can do to “feel good.”  Whether it’s joining a crew team like Allison Torres, dancing with friends like Nomy Lamm, or stripping (well perhaps not for 12/13 year old girls) like Diana Courvant.  With the activities we have selected, dancing, cheering, crafting, we are hoping to give the girls new avenues for building their appreciation of their body.  We would also like for them to be understand how important it is to share these with and be supportive of their friends.

 

Work Cited

Lamm, Nomy. “Fishnets, Feather Boas and Fat.”  Body Outlaws: Rewriting the Rules of Beauty and Body Image. Ed. Ophira Edut. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press, 2003. 78-87. Print.

Sax, Leonard. “Why are so many girls cutting themselves?”  Psychology Today. Psychology Today Mag.,  14 Mar. 2010.  Web.  18 September 2012.