By John harden/sports editor
Assistant Professor Jason Wooten will present the seminar Body Image: Fantasy versus Reality.
The seminar begins at 11:45 a.m. Feb. 4 in the SE Campus North Ballroom.
Wooten will present information on the dangers and misconceptions most men and women have of their body perception.
Magazines and pop culture are flooded with images of models who possess what society identifies as flawless beauty and can promote a message to men and women that the only way to fit in is to look like a model.
According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders, 7 million women have an eating disorder, and nearly 40 percent of college women struggle with it.
Wooten will touch on how many individuals are influenced by this subliminal message to look perfect and literally die trying by developing eating disorders in an attempt to obtain the perfect body.
“I will present case studies of models that have died because their BMI (body mass index) was too low,” he said. “I will talk on how someone struggling with their body image can make healthy choices and learn to accept their body.”
Women aren’t the only ones who struggle with their body image. One out of 10 men also struggle with their body perception.
“For men, it’s not necessarily trying to be thin, but not being muscular enough,” he said.
“Sometimes men think they’re not big enough even though they may have a significant amount of muscle and low body fat.”
According to ANAD, the major contributor to a person’s self-image perception is mainstream media. In the media, the slimmer or muscular the body is, the more attractive the person is portrayed.
The media’s unrealistic view of how the ideal body should look contributes negatively to a person’s self-esteem, Wooten said.
Self-esteem drops because people believe they do not meet society’s standards.
Those suffering can be thin and on the verge of death, but in the mirror, they may see someone who is too fat, Wooten said.
This seminar will discuss how to avoid quick weight-loss scams, how struggling with body image can affect overall wellness and how to determine what is considered healthy body weight.
Wooten will also discuss how comparing one’s body to peers and family can also be dangerous.
“Comparing weight to others can be a trap,” he said. “Everyone carries weight differently. I can put two people on the same exercise plan and get two different results.”
This seminar will also shed light on how thinness is just as dangerous as obesity.
“Sometimes in the news, they only report how being overweight is a problem,” he said. “Being overweight is unhealthy, but I don’t think we report enough on the extreme thinness, which is shown in the media.”
