Reading Circle:
In the round: Students struggle with body image
by Sonia Bowers
Source: “The Lumberjack Online” <www.lumberjackonline.com>
November 19, 2003
Vocabulary List
down-in-the-gutter entrenchment:(noun; figurative) the state of being depressed; unhappy
encompass: (verb) to include
boggle: (verb) to overwhelm with wonder or bewilderment; confuse
work out: (verb) to exercise
fad: (noun) a popular practice or interest followed for a time with intense enthusiasm
rip-off: (noun; idiomatic) a waste of money
in the same boat: (adj.; idiomatic) in the same situation; experiencing the same thing
contribute: (verb) to play a significant part in bringing about an end or result
self-conscious: (adj.) uncomfortably aware of oneself as an object of the observation of
others: ill at ease
portray: (verb) to make a picture of : depict
NAU [Northern Arizona University] students feel a complex variety of emotions
regarding their bodies, ranging from sheer happiness to down-in-the-gutter entrenchment.
Many feel the need to make a change.
Body image is an [issue] encompassing weight that seems to burden the thoughts and
boggle the minds of many college students, according to statistics compiled from the
2003 NAU Health and Wellness survey. The survey revealed that 62.7 percent of NAU
females versus 42.2 percent of males had worked out in the past 30 days to lose weight.
One NAU sophomore, Megan Philkins, an undecided major, said she tries to work out on
a weekly basis, and is happy with her overall body image. She said the main problem she
sees is that her female friends are always on fad diets, such as the Atkin’s, that are a “ripoff and unhealthy for you.”
Philkins credits bad body image among her female peers as directly related to seeing
“very skinny girls” around campus, and thinking that all women must be thin to be
beautiful. “I try to tell them that it is not worth their time,” Philkins said. “Yet they
always want to lose 10 pounds or have better looking abs. They are never happy with
how they look.”
A majority of men at NAU seem to want to change something about their bodies as well.
Mike Posvenski, senior physics major, credits his work outs and protein-rich diet to
hopes of gaining weight and muscle mass. Posvenski said he added 25 pounds to his
frame the first year he began his health-focused lifestyle. “(Working out) makes me feel
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good physically and mentally and gets me over slight depressions,” Posvenski said.
“When (people) look in the mirror, I don’t really think we see ourselves for what we are.”
Another male student, junior Artty Raynes, is in the same boat as Posvenski. “I work out
twice a week to gain muscle mass,” Raynes said. “I do it just to feel good about myself
and stay healthy.” Raynes said that TV and video games contribute to an unhealthy
lifestyle and bad body image. “Being healthy and working out contributes to a better
body image,” Raynes said. “My body has a certain (health) range and I like to stay at the
top of it.”
Many students question what NAU does to help build positive campus-wide body image.
John Rudy, a registered dietitian and health educator at Fronske, counsels students
referred for eating disorders. “Many students come in with eating disorder diagnoses
from doctors and psychologists,” Rudy said. “I sit down with them and help design wellbalanced menus, while also helping them work through the emotions that come with
eating.”
Rudy said he speaks in a number of FYE [first-year experience], psychology, and
sociology classes at NAU on the topics of body image and eating disorders, as a means of
outreach and education. “It looks like a lot of NAU students have negative body image,”
Rudy said. “What we don’t know is if students are (working out and dieting) for health
reasons or if they are a normal weight and just trying to lose more.”
According to the survey, 7.7 percent of 2,821 students surveyed, reported having an
eating disorder. “This translates to 1,063 students overall that have eating disorders (out
of a population of 13,800),” Rudy said. “And those are just the ones reporting it. That’s a
bunch of people. ”
One Rec Center employee, Chris Parent, said the majority of males she sees working out
are trying to bulk up, while the females generally stick to weight loss techniques. “There
are two groups of people that seem to work out,” Parent said. “The ones that are into the
health aspect and the ones that want to look good by building muscle or losing fat.”
Parent said she sees a wide range of students come in for hours at a time, working out in a
variety of ways to either bulk up or tone down. “Women seem to be pressured more than
men to fit the image of the ideal, thin body,” Parent said.
Lyssa Mulvihill and Dee Dee Fogg, two freshman Reilly residents, agreed with Parent’s
statement. “The media portrays an unrealistic image of what a woman’s body should
look like,” Mulvihill said. “I think most NAU females would like to use a few pounds,
but it depends if you are comfortable with your size or self-conscious.” Foggs said the
media’s image of the unrealistic woman sets both men and women up for disappointment.
“Guys think that girls should look like the perfect, thin images they see (portrayed on
TV),” Foggs said. “The majority of females can’t, though.”
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Comprehension Questions
1. What were the results of the 2003 NAU Health and Wellness survey?
2. According to the article, how do men and women differ in their reasons for exercising?
3. What are some of the reasons given in the article for students’ negative body image?
Discussion Questions
1. The article is about students at Northern Arizona University, but do you think that
negative body image is a problem at the University of Hawai’i, too? Why or why not?
2. Do you agree with the following statement? “Guys think that girls should look like the
perfect, thin images they see (portrayed on TV). . . . The majority of females can’t,
though” (paragraph 11).
3. What do you think could be the causes of negative body image and eating disorders?
4. How do you think that people might overcome negative body image?
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