Grace Shan wrote “loved” in green ink on a paper outline of a person’s body.
The 19-year-old was one of more than 300 students who participated in GatorWell’s first day of the fourth-annual Celebrate EveryBODY events Monday. Natalie Rella, the event organizer, said the activities were inspired by the National Eating Disorders Association’s awareness week to celebrate body positivity.
“We take the angle of changing the culture of body acceptance,” Rella said.
For part of the day, the organization hosted a health and wellness fair on UF’s North Lawn, where students wrote positive messages within an outline of person’s body on a paper canvas.
Shan’s message was joined by dozens more, some of which read, “Smile as bright as you can,” “Learn to laugh at your- self” and “Unique & proud.”
These messages reassured students that they are appreciated.
“Everyone is loved whether they know it or not,” the UF statistics sophomore said.
In other areas of campus, such as the Counseling & Wellness Center and Reitz Union,
students encountered mirrors covered in paper, Rella said.
In a Reitz’s women’s bathroom, the mirror displayed phrases like, “You are enough” and “My body is a temple.”
Rella said as more students learn to embrace their self-images, others will follow.
“Embrace the genes you were born in,” Rella said. “We are so much more than what we look like.”
Event today: EveryBODY can exercise, yoga event on the North Lawn from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a limited number of free yoga mats.
Where to find help for eating disorders:
- UF Health Shands Psychiatric Hospital: 352-265-5481
- National Eating Disorders Association hotline: 1-800-931-2237
- Counseling & Wellness Center: 352-392-1575
- UF Health Florida Recovery Center: 855-265-4372
- UF Nutrition Services: 352-392-1161
Contact Paige Fry at pfry@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @paigexfry
