Guest column by Stephanie Virbitsky | Yes, let's talk about body image

“Yes, let’s talk about body image.”

Research has shown that up to 80 percent of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. An estimated 2 percent of the population is struggling with an eating disorder, approximately 10 to 15 percent of which are men. The phenomenon is especially common in people our age — 95 percent of those with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25. Thinking about your last trip to the gym, the dining hall or walk down Locust, are these statistics surprising to you? The plague that is body image issues seems to have affected each of us at some point in our lives. Let’s be honest, who wasn’t at least a bit unhappy during our wonderful years of pubescence?

It is because of this feeling that Penn Poised was created, so that yes, we can talk about our eating disorders in public without stigma. Poised was created because a group of students found the numbers mentioned above troubling, but also unsurprising. We felt the need to do something productive to change them. Vera Krillov’s guest column last Wednesday showed that other students found the body image pressures on campus troubling as well. Why is it that so many of us are dissatisfied with our bodies — the same bodies that keep us moving, thinking, loving, dreaming, living?

Over the past year, Poised has sought to explore the answer to this question through a large scale photoshoot that drew on inspiration from the What I Be project as well as sessions aimed at creating positive conversation surrounding the causes and effects of body image issues in the media and everyday life. Clearly this has not been enough, for as Vera brings up in her column, while Penn is on its mental health discussion kick, discussion regarding eating disorders and body image in general has been skimmed over. We are proud that Vera had the courage to be vulnerable with her fellow students and give us the opportunity to begin talking about eating disorders and their prevalence on campus, as well as to share that there is a safe space being created to talk about these issues.

It’s time to stop avoiding the topic or pushing it away for a later date. While it gets the conversation out from the shadows, thinking and writing about body image alone can only go so far. Let’s talk about body image together — whether it be related to an eating disorder, a bodily “defect,” race, “healthy” living, athletics, sexuality or ableism. Together, we can support each other and create a lasting positive space for this type of discussion on Penn’s campus. Many people have helped to start the conversation, but now it’s up to each one of us to let our voices be heard.

Stephanie Virbitsky is a Wharton sophomore from Clifford Township, Pa. Her email address is vsteph@wharton.upenn.edu. 

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