Old Clothes, New You: An Exercise in Self-Love

Four Women’s and Gender Studies minors held an event Monday night in the Mary Sue Cushman Room to raise awareness about eating disorders and to encourage positive body image. Seniors Megan Eaves, Sarah Laycock, Virginia Flowers, and Paige Lowe organized the “Trash Your Jeans” event as part of an activist project for their Women’s and Gender Studies seminar class with Professor Julie Berebitsky. The girls invited the Sewanee community to dig into their closets and find any clothes that made them feel bad about themselves, like skinny jeans they couldn’t fit into or a bikini that they didn’t feel comfortable wearing, and cover them with paint, glitter, and encouraging messages in an effort to facilitate positive self-image. If participants didn’t want to ruin an item of clothing, they wrote on signs.

After doing research on art therapy, the group decided on an art-inspired theme for their project. According to the Eating Disorders Coalition of America’s website: “Developing a ‘voice’ is crucial in the treatment of people with eating disorders. The art that an individual creates can provide a voice for aspects of experiences and feelings for which there are no words, and provide a bridge to direct communication.”

However, Flowers pointed out that the benefits of art therapy extend to everyone, not just those with eating disorders. “We wanted to have a body awareness thing because it’s more personal. Even though not everyone has an ED (eating disorder), everyone is subject to body pressure,” she said.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, the evening was light and fun, yet very informative. Beyoncé and Usher played in the background as participants sat on the floor, painted, and chatted with each other. The group also gave an informal presentation of some pretty startling statistics, including:

• 25% of college-aged women engage in bingeing and purging as a weight-management technique
• 91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting
• 10% of patients with eating disorders are male

They also discussed common myths about eating disorders, the benefits of art therapy as a treatment method, and how to become healthier and more empowered men and women. 

“We thought, if we can change the way we talk about our bodies with our friends, we can change the way we actually feel about ourselves,” said Eaves.

Callan Candler (C’14), who participated in the event, took away a positive message. “I can see how this [clothes decorating] helps girls with their self-image,” she said. “Clothes go on your body, and if you can wear something you’re not ashamed of, that can be really empowering.”

Madison Cornwell (C’16) had a similarly positive experience. “I was kind of nervous to come at first, because I’m not the most social person,” she said. “But as soon as I started drawing on my sweater, the idea of not hiding anymore came to me. I think I’m going to use that in life.”

Indeed, according to Lowe, one of the goals of the event was simply “to make people think.” The laid-back atmosphere, good company, and positive discussions provided a comfortable space to talk about an otherwise uncomfortable subject.  

Ultimately, the group hopes their event will be part of a broader discussion on campus surrounding self-image, body respect, and peer-to-peer encouragement. “People, especially women, are taught not to honor our body or our appetites,” said Flowers. “We don’t let ourselves ‘want’ enough, whether it be food or anything else. This event is about letting ourselves ‘want’, about treating outselves.”