Anisa Jibrell – General Assignment Reporter
For junior and studio art major, Domi Migliarese, body shaming habits are not just society’s media-inflicted wounds, but are punctures that denote a trend that Migliarese hopes to squash.
A group of students, modest in size, gathered at Hickerson Hall Tuesday night to discuss the various types of body shaming that surround their culture and how some habits are more subtle than others.
“On this piece of paper,” said Migliarese, “I want you to write three things you like about yourself, and one thing you don’t like.”
Students quietly passed around bare pieces of brown construction paper, as Migliarese invited students to take part in this self-assessment.
According to bodyshaming.org, body shaming is defined as, “inappropriate negative statements and attitudes toward another person’s weight or size.”
Migliarese urged students to share and discuss their self-proclaimed physical inadequacies and shortcomings
“I don’t like my feet,” one girl interjected, as the room erupted with laughter.
“I like my smile,” said one boy, flashing a smile that was followed by soft coos.
As students came forth with their self-appointed qualities, they also provided explanations for the thought-process behind their conclusions. Migliarese stressed the importance of raising the awareness of unintentional body shaming, and the importance of ridding oneself a negative self-concept.
“I never liked my height, but I’ve learned to like that about myself,” said Migliarese.
Migliarese shared details of her life in middle school, such as, coming to terms with her height, and dealing with exclusion, and the difficulties faced when she had to shop for clothes. She also pointed out how these experiences play a significant role in fortifying self-criticism that students should learn to avoid.
“Hopefully,” said Migliarese, “me opening up will help them.”
Migliarese said the steady increase in the gap between average weight and average model size is partly to blame.
Fashion models’ weight averaged only 8 percent less than the average women 20 years ago, and today the average fashion model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman, according to Media Awareness Network
“The average size of a woman in America is 8,” said Migliarese. “And it’s seen as plus size.”
Migliarese discussed the societal infatuation with the thigh gap trend. Tumblr websites such as “gotgap.tumblr.com” that promote the body trend by posting pictures women with thigh gaps.
“I think when a certain image is painted by the media,” said Michael DeGrandi, junior and exercise science major, “people let it sink in.”
Body mass index (BMI), is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women, according to the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Actresses Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts and the singer Diana Ross meet the BMI criteria for anorexia, which is classified as below 18.5. The average BMI falls between 24.9 and 18.5.
One of the focuses of Migliarese’ presentation was social media’s role in the normalization of body shaming.
“People are more comfortable behind their keyboard than they are in person,” said Corey Malan, senior and nursing major.
College women who frequent Facebook and spend 20 minutes on it daily are more likely to develop eating disorders, according to a study administered at Florida State University, which was published in the “International Journal of Eating Disorders.”
“Media does not have to control us,” said Migliarese. “We are who we are.”
Malan said image-driven social media platforms make it easier for people to do two things: ridicule, and criticize.
“People are always going to remember the negative more than the positive,” said Malan.
Photo Credit: Jaimelondonboy
