Feminist 'GUIDE's at event

"Do you love your body?" That was the question posed to students on Locust Walk last Thursday by members of the University group Guidance for Understanding Image, Dieting and Eating, in promotion of Body Image Awareness Week. The week culminated last Thursday night with the keynote speech on "Body Image, Identity and Activism," given by Dyan Logwood, co-founder of Hear Us Emerging Sisters magazine. Logwood, in a speech co-sponsored by GUIDE, Connaissance and the Panhellenic Council, spoke to a mostly female audience in Logan Hall. HUES magazine was founded in 1991 by Logwood and friends Tali and Ophira Edut at the University of Michigan in an attempt to change the focus of women's body image to "self-esteem as opposed to dieting," to "create a new image of beauty and strength" and to bridge racial gaps on campus, Logwood said. In her speech, she described HUES as a "nonviolent means of protesting and being activists." Logwood added that the magazine -- which has included features such as a feminist swimsuit spread and an article for "dinner roll Barbie" -- "presents images of feminism and women that are linked with humor." Logwood maintained that although HUES features a distinctly feminist perspective, she considers men to be the allies of feminists and even devotes a page in the magazine to them. College sophomore and GUIDE member Miriam Kiss, who participated in Thursday's Locust Walk demonstration, explained that Logwood was chosen as keynote speaker because HUES is "not your typical women's magazine," adding that it "represents women well." Since its birth, HUES has become incorporated and gone national in hopes of gaining more subscribers. Logwood said that since the magazine will not run advertising "contradictory" to the magazine's theme -- such as ads for diet products, alcohol or cigarettes -- much of the publication's growth has come from "guerrilla marketing," or aggressively showcasing copies of the magazine in strategic places, and through support from famous personalities such as feminist activist Gloria Steinem and talk-show host Ricki Lake. Despite the fact that Logwood spoke mostly about the magazine rather than the general theme of body awareness, some students said they thought the speech was an effective end to the week. Liz Rutzick, a College freshman, praised Logwood and said what she achieved with HUES, not only in body awareness but also in bridging cultural gaps, "was amazing? and should be an example for women." This year's Body Image Awareness Week was themed "unchain your body, retrain your mind," and included events such as a conference on body image and Judaism, a yoga demonstration and a nutrition workshop, all of which were intended to "promote a positive body image," according to College sophomore and GUIDE member Kelly Lippi.