Reflections

Body Image. How we look, how we feel. As women, these are common issues we’ve at least faced before, if not every day. In a society so focused on a certain look, the ideal beauty, it can sometimes be hard to feel even pretty at all.

I know I’ve been there before. I’d heard the pep talks, the whole spiel that “You’re beautiful just the way you are”. And of course, while that’s all true, for some reason it never really stuck. I might’ve gone a few days telling myself “I’m beautiful just as myself” but after awhile, being surrounded by our society’s view of beauty, I’d find myself back in that familiar place of not always feeling so pretty.

Now while I have experienced a wonderful turn of events, I can’t say that that was the old me, because this is a continuing issue that we as women face every day. Instead, I found a way to make myself, but most importantly other women, develop a better body image.

It all started with Tri Delta. I was initiated into our chapter here at Creighton last spring. Not long after initiation, I heard about a program called the Reflections Body Image program. I had only heard good things about the program, and since it was just a two week commitment, I figured I’d give it a try. At first I saw it mainly as a chance to get closer to some of my new sisters; I never thought then it would have such an impact on my life.

The program first grabbed my attention because it seemed different that most body image based programs. Instead of being like a pep talk, Reflections took a more assertive approach. We talked about why society has this view of “ideal beauty” and how it negatively affects us. While it was more personally based, it still presented more of a challenge to me than just telling myself I was “beautiful no matter what”. It was this approach that intrigued me, and what led me to my next big move.

I noticed one day on our website that our Executive Office was looking for 5 women to be the “faces” or ambassadors for Tri Delta’s new body image program to be launched this fall. The process seemed simple, and it was open to all chapters nationwide. After going through the Reflections program and seeing how different it was, and the effect it could have, I figured why not go for it?

Little did I know that decision would change my life. In April, I got an email offering me a position as one of the 5 national ambassadors for this new program. So since then, I’ve been working with the other four Ambassadors and our Executive Officers getting ready for the launch of the new program. This new program, Body Image 3D, takes body image to an even deeper level. It challenges us as women to keep a healthy body image by keeping up with body image’s 3 basic components: a healthy mind, body and spirit, a 3-demesinal view.

Now, I know I’m not always perfect when it comes to my body image, but I’m learning, through myself and through this program. My new hope for this program, however, is that maybe somehow through me, I can help someone else see the beauty in themselves. Because everyone deserves to feel beautiful as who they are. And while changing society’s views of beauty may take time, the real place to start is changing the views of our own beauty.

Seeing beauty in 3D.

 

Kindly,

Leah Renauld