If you or someone you know would like to engage with a community that is devoted to developing a positive and accepting approach to health, beauty and identity, then you might consider attending a Body Positive Warriors event. This weekly workshop takes place via Zoom, every Tuesday, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 
At the April 5 session, Susan Brumm, event facilitator for Counseling and Psychological Services, shared the Brave Space Agreement for Body Positive Warriors before beginning the workshop.
“This agreement ensures confidentiality, the acceptance of one another, prohibits judgement, maintains respect for one another and their differences, clarifies that confidence is not conceit, and reminds everyone to not share number or details about weight, dieting, or eating disorders as they may be triggering,” said Brumm. 
The session kick-starts off with introductions by the attendees. They are instructed to state their “name, pronouns, and share a statement beginning with ‘My beauty is…,’” said Sandra Ruiz, counselor for Counseling and Psychological Services. Next, the facilitators begin explaining various activities and exercises that they have planned for the students attending.
One exercise encouraged the group to write a short love letter to one’s body, which can be in any style they chose. Some people choose to write about a body part or to their whole bodies. First, one should apologize for criticizing it and then give it gratitude for all it does each day. Allow the body part to respond, expressing whatever comes up.
Others prefer to write a freestyle love letter, allowing their unconditionally loving voice to speak, according to Edward Colorado, event facilitator for Counseling and Psychological Services. He exolained that you may choose to write a poem to your body, choosing a style that gives you joy.
“If it feels hard to write in your own voice, you can imagine a loving person writing to you,” Colorado said. “We will suspend our judgements and fears of being conceited and take two minutes each at our next session to share our letters.”
After everyone that feels comfortable sharing their letters and poems have wrapped up, Brumm explains her next activity about intuitive movement. This activity includes writing about what emotions you feel or experience when thinking about the exercise. The students are given five minutes to write down their experience and then are given the option to share. Winding down the meeting, Colorado facilitates a meditation, encouraging everyone to reflect on their relationship with food and health.
In the article, Eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image within college students and media, a study conducted by the Florida House Experience has shown that out of 1,000 men and women, 87 percent of women and 65 percent of men have compared their own bodies to those that they have seen on social media and traditional media.
“College students are very vulnerable to the development of eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns,” the article stated.
The article adds that the fashion/beauty industry, movies, social media (such as TikTok), and other forms of media can not only create comparison, but also glamorize eating disorders and promote a beauty standard.
These findings show how often college students struggle with body image and positivity and the impact that it has on individuals, which is why the Body Positive Warriors workshop aims to encourage one another to see the beauty within oneself and is a safe space for all those who seek to share experiences and journeys.
If you are interested in joining this devoted community, feel free to register for their next Zoom meeting for next Tuesday.
For more information, feel free to visit the Body Positive Warriors page on Stanislaus State’s website or contact [email protected].