The Women's Health project at University of Massachusetts, hosted "In our Bodies: Experiences of Bodies and Self," an artistic workshop that allowed students to raise awareness about women's body image issues Tuesday night.
The event took place in the hallway outside the Craft Center in the Student Union, as student participants needed space for their bodies to be traced into life-sized silhouettes. Students rolled out paper, lay still as other students traced their entire bodies with chalk.
"Women especially in our culture receive negative messages about body image, this is a fun creative way to have a more positive experience with the body," said Stacey Mimnaugh, the coordinator for the Women's Health Project.
After the bodies were traced on the paper, the students walked back into the Craft Center where materials like, charcoal, paint, collages and other artistic materials were available for student use. Participants used their creativity to decorate their traced bodies.
Freshman Nicole Brownstein, had her hands covered in lime green paint as she characterized the workshop as, "breaking the boundaries that the media portrays as the ideal women to be."
When the students finish decorating their life-sized silhouettes, they will be on display. This exhibit will begin in September and will use the student's artwork and digital storytelling to present body image misconceptions.
"It was a great event aimed at showcasing the opinions of UMass' Women's Health Project female members on their bodies," freshman Katelin Bolduc said." I personally enjoyed the opportunity to join forces with other female students and to creatively exhibit our self esteem and opinions in regards to our bodies. Women are critiqued as not having the perfect body type in everyday life and this was a great way to showcase that not all women need to be a size two to be perfect and to be enjoy the skin that they're in."
Gisel Saillant can be reached at gsaillan@student.umass.edu
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