Recently, I sat down with Maryam Somea, Vice President of Programming of the Beta Pi chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon to discuss ANAD Week.
What is Delta Phi Epsilon?
It is an international sorority that has chapters in both the United States and Canada.
How long has Delta Phi Epsilon been at Concordia?
Since 1994!
How long have you been a member of the organization?
Since Winter 2018.
How long have you held the position of Vice President of Programming?
I was elected in the winter semester of 2019, so this semester would be my first active semester as a Vice President.
Have you had any role in the sorority before you were VP that has to do with your current position?
Well, each Vice President has coordinators on their team. I previously was one of those coordinators; I held the position of Fundraising, which falls under my current position of Vice President of Programming.
What is ANAD?
ANAD is the Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. It is an organization that helps those have any type of eating disorders by raising awareness and giving those who are suffering from the disease a voice, as well as treatment and care. It also supports the families affected by the disease.
Where did you learn about ANAD?
From DPhiE!
What is ANAD Week?
There is a specific week in the year for ANAD Week where the association itself choses to focus on raising awareness. However, I have chosen to do it this week due to it being close to our bake sale. One of our days is “Treat Yourself Thursday” so we will also be promoting our bake sale that day. The week is about being present, talking about it, and raising awareness in any way possible.
What was the inspiration behind ANAD Week activities?
Each day represents a different aspect of how you would love yourself. We have some that are more inner beauty and some that are more outer beauty. We aren’t really focusing on the eating disorder aspect but more a focus on loving yourself and not letting your thoughts negatively control how you see your body.
Since you mentioned that you will have a focus on inner and outer beauty, can you explain what each day is during this week?
Monday is “Makeup Free Monday”, which is focusing more on outer beauty but also how to feel beautiful without the need for makeup.Tuesday is “Trash Your Insecurities Tuesday” and it focuses more on inner beauty and how your mind can control your thoughts about your body and your image. We will be asking people to write down those nasty thoughts and throw them away. Wednesday is “Wellness Wednesday” and it is about doing activities that make you feel better about yourself, whether it is learning something new, reading a book, taking a nap, anything that makes you feel better about yourself. Thursday is “Treat Yourself Thursday”. We will be engouraging people to do something to treat themselves that day and we will be having a bake sale in the Hall Mezz. Finally, Friday is “Fabulous Friday”, which again focuses on outer beauty and it connects a lot with fashion: being in an outfit that makes you feel sexy, beautiful, confident and all around good about yourself.
Since this is a project that you are doing in your sorority , how will your fellow sisters be involved?
Girls will be involved every day; we have six girls promoting each day.
How will they be promoting it?
Mostly on social media, such as our Instagram, but we will present on campus (SGW) for two days: Tuesday and Thursday.
Is there a specific reason you decided to focus more on social media?
Yes, because I feel that you can reach more people, and people take more time to look at something on a Instagram post than they do just looking at tables in the Mezz.
Did you draw any inspiration from any other Delta Phi Epsilon chapters?
Yes, I got some ideas for the trash can decoration for “Trash Your Insecurities Tuesday”, but it was mostly things I created that I thought would be beneficial to our chapter at our campus.
After doing some research, I found out that there are some traditional events that are not being incorporated in Beta Pi’s chapter, such as the Barbie themed event on Wednesday and the candle vigil. Is there a reason you chose not to do those?
Yes, so those are things that ANAD themselves suggest that girls do, and a lot of of DPHIE chapters do the vigil night. The vigil night is something that has a more sad connotation with it and I wanted a more positive one when it came to our ANAD week. “Why You’re Better Than Barbie” is an activity that is usually held on Wednesday, and while I understand the whole concept of the activity and trashing Barbie due to unrealistic beauty standards she has set, the activity itself promotes a more comparison mindset. You shouldn’t compare yourself to one another as a competition even if the person you are comparing yourself to is a doll. We are all beautiful in our own way.
Why is this week important to your sorority?
DPhiE provides an open dialogue about eating disorders and creates a safe space to talk about the harmful effect in our society. Since our organization is made up of women, we feel that it is important to focus on something that affects a large number of women.
What do you personally hope to get out of ANAD Week?
I hope to raise awareness and give a voice to those who are affected by it.
Are there any other sources you would recommend to learn more about ANAD?
Yes, check out ANAD’s website.
Aside from ANAD Week, what else are you doing for the cause?
We are having a Halloween party that is also an escape room, where all the proceeds will be going to ANAD. It is on November 1st 2019. The link to both donate to ANAD and buy a ticket is here.