With any luck, motivational speaker and author Jessica Weiner might make the term "actionist" more popular in the future.
"What a great, lovely, intimate group," Weiner said in her welcoming remarks, helping to set the ambiance for a book discussion and signing held last night at the Penn Bookstore.
Weiner regaled a small, mostly female gathering of 10 intrigued community members with personal tales of her past struggles with eating disorders and low self-esteem.
Weiner was at the University to discuss her newly published book, A Very Hungry Girl: How I Filled Up on Life... and How You Can, Too!
In her book, which was released this month, Weiner shares her own struggles with obsessive eating habits -- making note that even though she was never a stereotypical size zero anorexic, she still dealt with dangerous eating habits that led to an unhappy lifestyle.
During her freshman year in college, she came to the realization that she needed help in the form of therapy. That led to her desire to give young women the tools to begin their own healing processes, she said. "I call myself an 'actionist,'" Weiner said. "What this means is that I want to motivate people to take action in their own lives.... What can we do today?"
Weiner -- who has worked as a motivational speaker for 10 years --also addressed her transition from activism to authorship.
"I had never expected to one day write my own book, but it's just the direction my life has taken," she said.
Weiner pointed out to her audience that anorexia and bulimia are issues that affect every race, class and gender. She also noted the importance of having a family support group while dealing with an eating disorder. In her own life, Weiner said, anorexia had been a family issue that her mother suffered from as well.
When asked about how her relationship with her mother has evolved to date, she beamed and informed her audience that her mother is very proud and fully supportive of her new book.
Sandy Rosenbloom, a 52-year-old housewife, noted that she found out about the event through her daughter, who had dealt with eating issues earlier in life.
At the end of the event, those in attendance said they left feeling like they had gained something from the experience.
"I really liked Jessica very much," said Judy Hollaender, an English tutor and University City resident. "She was real and very clear. I enjoyed the event very much. At the age of 30, she's really accomplished quite a lot."
Overall, Weiner left her audience with a message of self-empowerment.
"I didn't have a voice early on in life, but I have one now," she said.
