Author confronts image issues
"Eating disorders have nothing to do with food or weight," said Jessica Weiner,
author of "Mirror ...Mirror," which she calls "interactive dialogue
with a transformational message."
Playwright, actress and author, Weiner spoke about body image to a packed auditorium in
the Reitz Union on Tuesday night as part of the Women's History Month celebrations.
Weiner, who was sponsored by CAMPUSPEAK, Inc. and the Panhellenic
Council, calls herself a survivor of eating disorders and spoke about the
chance to make a difference in the way people view themselves and others.
"If you listen closely to the language we speak to
ourselves and others, we really bring ourselves down and then try to mend
that with alcohol, men and food," Weiner said. "We use anorexic
and bulimic as adjectives. Women talk about their bodies as enemies."
Weiner said she thinks the media play a large role in the
way women see themselves, bet she stressed it was important to start looking
within to change ways of thinking.
Eating disorders stem from a need for control, emotional
stress and a lack of communication, she said.
Telecommunications senior Barbara Johnson said she was
very impressed by the presentation, especially since- it focused more on individuals
and not eating disorders.
"She made us see it's not okay to say we're fat, "Johnson
said. "It's not healthy."
Weiner challenged audience members to change their language
by avoiding words such as ' "fat" and to educate themselves and
not buy into the images the media portray.
"I felt this was a necessary topic, and PC was the
perfect avenue. We hope this message can be heard on campus loudly,"
said Marni Kahn, a graduate student working in the Dean of Student's Office.
It's not something addressed, and we have an opportunity to do that now."
Weiner, who tours the country giving similar presentations,
currently is working on her own talk show that will air next spring and her
first book "A Very Hungry Girl," based on her experiences with eating
disorders and stories she has acquired from other girls.
"We have an opportunity to make history by changing
the way we think about our bodies," Weiner said. |
