2008 Woodie Awards
Body image program alters mindsets
With peer leaders, sorority new actives and female athletes
Yvonne Freckmann
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News
This Monday, the new active members in Trinity's seven sororities took part in their first session of the Sorority Body Image Program. The program, now in its fifth year, is a collaborative project between the psychology department and Trinity's sororities, and has resulted in numerous studies.
The collaborative project between the Psychology Department and Trinity's sororities has brought forth numerous studies and has been implemented by several national sororities.
Implemented by several national sororities, the program is the first evidence based, sustainable eating disorder prevention program in the country to be used with sororities. In addition to the sorority program, last year a body image program for female athletes was started.
Led by peer leaders, the participants fill out pre-treatment and post-treatment surveys and take part in one of two programs: "healthy ideal," or "cognitive dissonance prevention," the latter works at preventing and reducing eating disorders.
Cognitive dissonance prevention consists of a series of exercises that encourage the women to act counter to their belief system. For example, women speak against the societal "thin ideal," which most women have internalized.
"Beliefs will shift," said Assistant Professor of Psychology Carolyn Black Becker. "We want them to decrease their investment in the 'thin ideal' of beauty. And once you get that everything will just cascade. We see sustained changes. In our peer leaders we see really unusually tremendous changes."
Lessened body dissatisfaction, reduced eating pathology and reduced bulimic tendencies are some of the results of the program.
"It's really something that all girls deal with, and hopefully they'll talk to girls that aren't in sororities and it will spread across campus. That's the main goal," said Junior Rachel Hugman. "I love the program. I think it's a really positive thing to have on campus."
Hugman, a member of Gamma Chi Delta, serves as one of three peer leaders for a group of 10-12 women. Hugman runs the modules, or scripts, for the program that explain society's view of the "thin ideal" and what one can do to combat that view. They discuss how many pictures are airbrushed and how, in reality, it is better to focus on being healthy.
The collaborative project between the Psychology Department and Trinity's sororities has brought forth numerous studies and has been implemented by several national sororities.
Implemented by several national sororities, the program is the first evidence based, sustainable eating disorder prevention program in the country to be used with sororities. In addition to the sorority program, last year a body image program for female athletes was started.
Led by peer leaders, the participants fill out pre-treatment and post-treatment surveys and take part in one of two programs: "healthy ideal," or "cognitive dissonance prevention," the latter works at preventing and reducing eating disorders.
Cognitive dissonance prevention consists of a series of exercises that encourage the women to act counter to their belief system. For example, women speak against the societal "thin ideal," which most women have internalized.
"Beliefs will shift," said Assistant Professor of Psychology Carolyn Black Becker. "We want them to decrease their investment in the 'thin ideal' of beauty. And once you get that everything will just cascade. We see sustained changes. In our peer leaders we see really unusually tremendous changes."
Lessened body dissatisfaction, reduced eating pathology and reduced bulimic tendencies are some of the results of the program.
"It's really something that all girls deal with, and hopefully they'll talk to girls that aren't in sororities and it will spread across campus. That's the main goal," said Junior Rachel Hugman. "I love the program. I think it's a really positive thing to have on campus."
Hugman, a member of Gamma Chi Delta, serves as one of three peer leaders for a group of 10-12 women. Hugman runs the modules, or scripts, for the program that explain society's view of the "thin ideal" and what one can do to combat that view. They discuss how many pictures are airbrushed and how, in reality, it is better to focus on being healthy.
Be the first to comment on this story