Every seat in the Anatol Center was filled with Cal State Long Beach students, faculty and community members during part one of The Body Positive presentation. This dialogue kicked off body positivity month and discussed the importance of self love and appreciation.
Co-founder of The Body Positive, Connie Sobczak, spoke at the center Tuesday afternoon for a community forum on what The Body Positive is and what her book “Embody” highlights.
The Body Positive is a national organization that teaches young people everyone is formed differently and overcoming challenges with their own bodies can lead them to happier lives.
After being being exposed to the body image trauma that manifested itself in her family members, Sobczak endured a six-year struggle with bulimia while raising a one-year-old daughter. Once she stabilized a healthy self-image, decided she needed to do something about the way people view their own bodies.
“I looked at [my daughter] and I thought, ‘How do I raise this child so nothing [will] ever make her feel like she’s supposed to hate her body?’ So I decided to change the world,” Sobczak said.
A myriad of schools, including CSULB, have created Body Positive programs in order to make a support system for students and has proven to be successful.
“We purchased the Body Positive curriculum and brought it to Long Beach because we noticed that there are students here who could really use some support and assistance in feeling better about themselves,” said Angela Girard, associate director of Student Health Services. “There has been some positive results for some of our students. It’s been amazing to watch and see.”
Sobczak explained to students how she and her co-founder, Elizabeth Scott, came up with the the Be Positive Model of Sobczak’s book by interviewing hundreds of people and asking “what are you struggling with?” rather than “I know what is right for you.”
The model consists of five core competencies: practice intuitive self-care, reclaim your health, cultivate self-love, declare your own authentic beauty and build community within youth and adults.
“Who you are fundamentally is incredible and that’s all you have to focus on. Yes, you can be obsessed with your hair or this or that, and image is part of growing up, but play with it and have fun with it,” Sobczak said. “It doesn’t have to be about taking away who you are. You get to be more of who you are not less of who you are.”
Along with reading excerpts from the book and sharing her personal stories, she allowed the audience to interact with one another and share what their bodies meant to them.
Stephanie Lujan, a CSULB alumna who is currently working for the Center of Discovery and the Body Positive core action group, described how the program helped with her depression and got her to connect with other students.
“Participating with this in my last semester here on campus changed everything for me,” she said. “I went into the group really nervous but hearing everyone share their stories, you felt less alone. I felt like I belonged in the group and learned that I don’t have to hate my body and that doesn’t have to be the norm. It really allowed me to take my power back.”
Body Positive at the Beach fall series will continue to hold sessions once a week for the next eight weeks, focusing on each part of the Be Positive Model and other components to help students overcome their body issues.
The next Body Positive session will be held today for a staff and faculty workshop at 12 p.m. at the Barrett Athletic Administration Conference Center, followed by a separate student workshop at 3:30 p.m. in the University Student Union room 303.