The Body Project is a four-week program that launched Spring ‘23. The program is designed to promote positive body image and reduce the risk of eating disorders. The program was introduced through Dr. Suejung Han, an Associate Professor in the clinical and counseling program at ISU.
Han’s research interest is in eating disorders. When she first read the protocol about the Body Project she knew it would be important to bring to college and high school students.
“You realize how much more autonomy we have by increasing the awareness of pressures and message awareness,” Han said. “I have witnessed and seen the power of the program. It’s wonderful for eating disorders in general and helps mental well-being.”
Sessions meet for four weeks; currently, there are two groups meeting, one on Tuesdays and the Dance Team on Fridays. ISU students are peer mentors while Han and two teachers, Kate Pole and Amy Reiman, are sponsors and outside observers who provide feedback. The participants circle up with the peer facilitators who obtain verbal consent that participants agree to share and then the session begins.
Student mentor of the Body Project and co-president of the feminist club Mallory Leonard is participating in her second round of training as she works to bring The Body Project into U-High culture.
“There is a script that you read that is confidential and there are different exercises that you share and discuss and then you move on to the next,” Leonard said. “Then you do an activity to prep for the next home exercise and then at the end, you listen to feedback.”
The Body Project was originally developed for female participants when it was created three decades ago. However, increasing awareness of non-binary genders and the eating struggles of cis-males has led Han to adapt the program to be more inclusive.
“About a decade ago, we started noticing body positivity issues and eating issues in cis-men; they don’t address it because it is ‘a girl thing’. Cultural, social justice-related issues, and more recently clinical reports [indicate increasing] pressure for other genders not feeling enough,” Han said. “ We wanted to make it [The Body Project] available to all students and we tailored the protocol to be more body-inclusive.”
Leonard uses techniques she learned from her first session of the group daily. Specifically, Leonard draws from the skit where she had to convince another participant to think beyond their habitual self-criticism.
“I love it because it is personal and is a time to be real and learn,” Leonard said. ”It is not just a therapy session, it teaches you things you can use in the future.”
Jasmine Spotts, a dance coach and ASL teacher, requested the training for her dance team in order to both learn about The Body Project and for the team bonding aspect. She cares about the mental health of her dancers, not only the dance performances. Spotts said she wants everyone to have a positive and confident outlook.
“I read it in announcements last year and thought it was a cool thing to do,” Spotts said. “There is a dancer’s body type and I don’t want anyone to feel that they have to fit that type of body.”
Anyone is a good fit for the program but participants must be respectful and have an open mind and willingness to participate.
“I learn something new every time with ISU students and with U-High students. I am always learning something cool and rewarding,” Han said. “There is always room for improvement and I try to be open to feedback, at the same time, maintaining the integrity of the program by relying on the previous literature that holds the program. I learned a lot from how the teachers helped the process and the flow with spontaneity.”
Han’s research on the program at U-High is to gain more data on high school students in the program. She notes there are not a lot of systematic differences between ISU students and U-High students. Each year is different based on how much participants engage. The Body Project is not about forcing participants into anything; it’s about developing awareness of the autonomy in everyone’s personal choices not only for body image but also about mental well-being.
“It is a great community that is fighting against the body ideals [of cultural messaging],” Han said.
According to Han, research shows that 80-90% of people have body concerns and so many can benefit from this program. For those who want to talk about the socially constructed ideal of body image and the issues those ideals create, The Body Project is one space to do so. Additionally, Han said that The Body Project is a great extracurricular experience for learning the behind-the-scenes of how each gender thinks and for those seeking career paths related to mental health.
“Join the Body Project!” Leonard said. “It would be nice to make it highly requested by faculty because a lot of the women could benefit from it. Because all people, all backgrounds, and all ages, suffer from body negativity.”
