Topic: Beauty Standards and Body Positivity
Date: 01 October 2024
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Venue: AV Room
Attendance: 9 students
Objectives:
The objective of the session was to create awareness about the evolving nature of beauty standards, promote self-acceptance, and encourage students to embrace their bodies irrespective of societal expectations. The session focused on the harmful impact of unrealistic beauty standards and the importance of fostering a positive body image. It also focused on empowering students with tools for developing a positive self-image, and to encourage inclusive conversations around beauty, body diversity, and self-acceptance.
Overview of the Session:
The session began with an Icebreaker, in which the students had to name something unique about themselves and something beautiful about the person sitting on their left (including talents, personality traits, skills). This activity brought smiles on everyone’s faces and promoted positivity. It also emphasized the fact that beauty is not restricted to physical appearance and that everyone is beautiful in their own way.
The session then moved on to how beauty standards have evolved over time and across cultures. Students were presented with examples from different historical periods and geographical regions, showcasing how the definition of “beauty” is often subjective and fluctuates due to many factors. It was discussed how women’s worth and value has been historically reduced to their physical appearance and bodies and how this has led to women being overly critical and conscious of their bodies – resulting in exhausting upkeep and maintenance, painful beautification that is sometimes extremely harmful ( such as Lotus feet in china, corsets in Europe etc).
Coming to the modern age, the session also highlighted the role of media, fashion industries, and social platforms in shaping contemporary beauty ideals. The role of capitalism in creating demand for beauty products by feeding on people’s insecurities was a topic students engaged heavily on. Discussions centered on the pressure these ideals create, particularly among young people, and how they can lead to issues like low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and mental health challenges such as eating disorders. Some people also resort to cosmetic surgeries to change their appearance entirely.
Further in the session, the facilitators explored the negative impact that societal beauty standards can have on men and how it affects them. The students also learned about the detrimental effects of photoshopping, filters, and the contribution of celebrities and social media influencers in creating unattainable beauty ideals online
After that, the emphasis shifted to the body positivity movement. Students were introduced to concepts of self-love, acceptance, and embracing body diversity. The session emphasized that body positivity is not just about loving one’s appearance, but also accepting all body types, sizes, shapes, and abilities. Open, frank discussions and a safe environment helped students reflect on their personal journeys towards body acceptance and how to be kind to themselves and others regarding appearance. Moreover, the concept of body neutrality was also discussed, which includes perceiving the body as a tool and focusing on its functions rather than its appearance, making health a priority over beauty.
Towards the end, an activity called Media Analysis was conducted, in which students were divided into pairs and instructed to choose a piece of media and critically analyze how it portrayed beauty, including what was done right or what they would change about it. After five-seven minutes, each pair was asked to share their analyses with everyone else. Students chose movies like Shrek, Bala, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, etc. and had fantastic observations.
Lastly, the facilitators shared some tips and techniques to improve body image issues and harness body positivity, such as self-reflection and mindfulness, positive affirmations, self-care, healthy habits, media literacy, supportive relationships, self-acceptance, challenging socio-cultural norms. etc.
Conclusion:
The session successfully provided students with a deeper understanding of how beauty standards influence perceptions of self-worth and body image. By promoting the principles of body positivity, the session encouraged students to embrace their uniqueness and appreciate body diversity. Feedback from the students was very positive, with some of them coming up to the facilitators afterwards expressing gratitude and voicing that everyone should attend such sessions.
