Art aims to improve students’ body image

IU’s Counseling and Psychological Services wants you to care about your body, even if you need that third latte.

To raise awareness during National Eating Disorder Awareness Month, the CAPS program is displaying a “Celebrate Your Body” art exhibit through Feb. 19 at the IMU Gallery in Starbucks. The exhibit features photography, paintings and a collage.

“I wanted to get the message out there that body image is something that men and women struggle with,” said Chris Meno, a psychologist in the CAPS program. “It can really make someone feel badly about themselves, contributing to eating disorders, depression and anxiety.”

The artwork is themed around body image and was contributed by students in the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts and Kelley School of Business.

Sophomore Casey Metheny said his oil-on-canvas painting titled “The Weight of It” represents how he felt during a difficult time. After losing a significant amount of weight, he said he became frustrated with people telling him he was too skinny.

“It is a male emaciated figure,” Metheny said of the painting. “It is a representation of my own

struggle, with how I view myself versus how others view me.”

A painting by Gina Taton titled “Bathroom” is a depiction of adolescent girls gathering in front of a bathroom mirror.

“This is the setting and age where girls look at themselves in relation to other girls,” she said.

Everybody is immersed in themselves, Taton said, but at times we’re immersed in the appearance of others.

Meno said a way to help people with eating disorders is to limit “fat talk,” a type of criticism of our own and others’ bodies. It makes you feel badly about your body, she said.

Another painting in the gallery is a self-portrait of graduate student Kimberly Waite, titled “Insecurities,” which was painted to make her hair appear more dramatic.
“I’ve always had big insecurities about my hair,” Waite said.

The painting was a way for her to expose that insecurity, she said.

Junior Derek Cutting said his series of five photographs titled “The Body” were meant to capture the lines of the body and emphasize how beautiful they are.

Although his model was physically fit, Cutting said it did not matter for the overall presentation.

“No matter who you are, lines and characteristics can be drawn out to project the individual beautifully,” he said. “It’s is the job of the photographer to draw confidence out of the model.”

A collage by Mica Harrison titled “The Nature of Desire” is an expression of beauty and self-worth, she said.

“I wanted to capture a joyful time in my life so that when I was having harder, more difficult times I could look back and reflect on that time,” Harrison said.

Meno said the event is the counseling center’s effort to help students who are struggling with body image or eating disorders learn ways to feel better about their body, whether it’s on their own or trying to work with a counselor.

“One thing students can do to work on body image is limit their exposure to what the media deems you should look like, such as fashion and fitness magazines,” Meno said.

She said helping friends address these problems can also make a big difference.

“If a friend is concerned, they should always express that concern,” she said. “The only way to find out if there is a problem is to ask.”