U Bring Change 2 Mind, Union Board and the Residence Halls Association collaborated to present the Love The Skin You’re In fashion show Tuesday at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.
The event featured student models representing a variety of backgrounds and styles as well as a discussion about body positivity with America’s Next Top Model’s first plus-sized winner, Whitney Thompson.
“My message is this: healthy is beautiful,” Thompson said. “Healthy is not a size, an age or a procedure.”
Neha Sehgal, the social media director for U Bring Change 2 Mind at IU, helped raise student awareness about the event through sites like Facebook and Twitter.
“I think this event will allow students to see a role model that has risen up against the harsh standards of society’s expectations,” Sehgal said. “I hope it will be able to inspire students to start to see their bodies as beautiful despite society’s expectations.”
Sehgal said she would like to see more people challenge mainstream norms of what constitutes beauty.
“I would say our generation is very dependent on social media, and we have formed expectations of the ‘perfect’ body through avenues such as Instagram,” Sehgal said. “We look at the fashion world today and see very little diversity in body shapes and sizes, which is why having Whitney here is so important. She’s a pioneer.”
In addition to her career as an international model for companies such as Forever 21, Saks Fifth Avenue and Converse Onestar, Thompson is also an ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association.
During her talk, Thompson addressed some of the damaging psychological effects of the media’s unrealistic beauty standards, particularly in regards to the growing number of young women who suffer from eating disorders.
Thompson said anorexia kills more people annually than does any other mental illness.
“We live in a society where there is so much focus on what we look like,” Thompson said. Lauren Smith, an IU junior studying tourism, hospitality and event management, took on the role of organizing and preparing for the event.
“We have to celebrate all body types, and that’s what this event does — all of the models are wearing clothes they are comfortable in, or love the way they feel in the clothes,” Smith said. “Adding a fashion show that celebrates body types to Whitney’s talk is very powerful.”
In order to move toward a more body-positive society, Smith said people need to have more productive conversations about body image.
“Creating an event about body image and forcing people to have traditionally awkward or uncomfortable conversations about their bodies encourages more positive talk,” Smith said.
Smith said that U Bring Change 2 Mind has begun to create events that target mental health problems in specific groups.
“UBC2M’s focus is to encourage conversations about mental health, but it doesn’t end there,” Smith said. “Having positive conversations about tough topics, like body image, will build a foundation for more accepting societal views moving forward.”
