 Poor eating patterns  Preoccupation with food and self  Extreme dieting  Lower self-esteem  Drug & alcohol abuse  General physical and mental ill health

 5’9” and would weigh 110 pounds  measurements would be  would not menstruate due to inadequate levels of fat on her body

Over three-quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s bodily appearance by diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery

 A study involving nine and ten year old girls, showed that 40% of the subjects have already at some point in their life tried to lose weight  At the age of thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies”, and this number grows to 78% by the time the girls reach seventeen  Ten year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears

 “It doesn't matter if you are black, white, Latina, Asian or a lesbian. If you are a girl and you watch television, read magazines or just walk around campus, you are constantly bombarded with images of unattainable beauty and body ideals.”

 African American women are thought to embrace their bodies and not worry about cultural norms.  In many cultures, women have been proud to be large

The weight loss, medical, and advertising industries have an enormous impact on women across racial and ethnic boundaries. These industries all insist that white and thin is beautiful and that fatness is always a dangerous problem in need of correction.

 Our culture defines who we are  It is important to love ourselves and our bodies  If we do that, we can change society and make a difference

 Find ways to diversify our circle of friends.  Support magazines that show men and women of all colors, sizes, shapes, and abilities.  Write a letter to a TV station or magazine or clothing store that shows positive (or negative) images of men or women of color, and let them know what you think.  Read whatever you can find on race and body size issues that support self- acceptance instead of trying to make your body conform to any "ideal.''  Plan together how to challenge ourselves and others when we judge men and women on the basis of skin color and appearance.  Form or join a group or organization that promotes self- acceptance and self-love for all our sizes and in all our diversity.  Learn more about how our bodies work, through self-help sessions and/or discussion.

 Recognize that your body is your own, make a list of what you like about yourself.  Change your thought process, decide to only think positively and hang out with positive people.  Build self-esteem, give yourself 3 compliments a day.  If you choose to change something about yourself (how fit you are) make it realistic and create goals for yourself.

 Cheryl-Ann could not believe her 13 yr. old daughter had a friend saving for breast implants.  To show that bodies come in different shapes and sizes she created clay replicas of women’s torsos.  These women shared private struggles and concerns about their bodies with her.  There are 120 clay torsos of women aged  The project opened discussions on body image, self-worth, and helped those heal from traumatic experiences

“Our bodies tell our life story. They are portraits of our journeys and experiences. Knowing that our body is beautiful just as it exists is a message more people need to see and hear.” - Cheryl-Ann Webster – Each clay sculpture was decorated to honor the women’s life experiences.

 Media texts are beginning to acknowledge the effects of body image distortion and are taking steps to improve it!  By creating shows and campaign ads they have begun to redeem themselves.

Some questions you may be feeling: - Where can I go where no one will judge me or treat my any differently? - Where can I go where my information and my feelings will remain private? - I don’t know any places that I can go in my neighborhood. - I don’t have a car, how can I get to these places? - I don’t have much money, how am I ever going to afford to get these services. - No one wants to listen to my problems, are there people out there that are willing to listen and to help me?

 Number: (call for appts)  Location: 16 Main Street Hempstead, NY  Time by bus: approx. 10 minutes!!!  Help Line: 504-HELP  Free and Confidential from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m  Support Groups:  There are a number of groups that you can go to and sit in, everyone is welcome! Others share the issues that they have had to face and how they have overcome them. There are women and mens groups, go to and call the contact information for which ever group you would like to attend.

 Number: (516) (call for appts.)  Location: Adelphi University’s Hy Weinberg Center on Cambridge Avenue 2 nd Fl.  Time by bus: minutes  Price: as low as $5.00 per session  Services: You can meet with a doctoral student for a counseling session. Everything is confidential where anything that is on your mind can be released.

 Number : (516)  Location : 1262 Powell Ave, Merrick, NY  Time by bus: 25 minutes  Services: The organization provides group counseling sessions on self image as well as multiple different types of therapy:  Phone therapy  Group Therapy  Life Skill classes (by telephone)  Everything is confidential and, at times, you won’t even have to come in!!!

 There is only one person who could ever make you happy, and that person is you. David Burns, Intimate Connections  "Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.“ St. Francis De Sales  "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.“ Judy Garland  The world has become uglier since it began to look into a mirror every day; so let us settle for the mirror image and do without an inspection of the original. - Kraus, Karl