opinion
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KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016
Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351)
KU bus driver here. Just wanted to share that one of you dropped a condon on my bus. Lost items can be claimed at the parking and transit office.
PSA: The Underground closes at 3pm on Fridays now. You're welcome America.
The fact that there isn't a bowling alley in the bottom floor of the Union is a tragedy.
If you can study Latin sober, I applaud you.
If an Indian restaurant is really secretive about their bread recipe, do they make their employees sign naan-disclosure agreements?
how is
toomanyimigranttuesday
even a real hashtag? two
thumbs down
Today is one of those days where I started out on the struggle bus and that bus has been in service all day with no stops
Overheard in Anschutz:
"I've got to go, my naan is getting soggy."
There's a job where I can dress up as a panda and cuddle pandas = ideal
People are upset that Harry Styles didn't show up to the BRIT Awards but didn't he change his name to James Bay?
READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM
80 more days until commencement
A guy just called me milady and I've never felt less ladylike in my life.
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
Issawi: Unrealistic beauty standards fuel rise in eating disorders
▶ DANYA ISSAWI
@danyaasawi
Photo Illustration by Colleen O'Toole/KANSAN
We have become a nation infatuated with body image, chasing an ambiguous idea of perfection. We incessantly obsess over what it takes to obtain an ideal size and shape, analyzing beach bods and dad bods and the fluidity of the spectrum in between. Consumers are inundated with ad campaigns targeted toward self-love while ironically and simultaneously being ushered into the world of self-improvement.
From phone screens to televisions to billboards, images of idealistic bodies are everywhere, and subsequently, we can't help but partake in a bit of compare and contrast. We strip away our humanity and deconstruct ourselves into a mass of mere appendages — arms, butts, legs — that's all we become. And in the end, the marginal mortal body will never resemble that of an airbrushed model. We will always be too large, too tall, too short, too muscular and too thin.
Here, for many, is where the struggle between the mind and the body begins.
Approximately 20 million women have been diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point within their
lifetime, and the numbers have dramatically increased within the last two decades. This spike in reported cases could be attributed to a newly manifested and narrowed definition of beauty. In the prominent realm of fashion, the ultrathin has become ultra in. Designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Ralph Lauren pride themselves on using size zero models in nearly all of their runway shows and ad campaigns, coming under harsh criticism for doing so.
Findings from a recent study from the University of Sussex in the U.K. found that merely looking at these thin models made women feel substantially worse about their own physical appearance. Yet, these women were still more inclined to buy products from the same companies using these skinny women to represent their brand.
Aerie, a lingerie company aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds, launched 'Aerie Real' in 2014 — an ad campaign centered on "challenging supermodel standards" by using unairbrushed, "real" women as models. Recently, the company partnered with the National Eating Disorder Association, or NEDA, in order to promote and support the association's National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which runs from Feb. 21-27.
Aerie's ad campaign, while admittedly powerful, is still an ad campaign. It's meant to reel in potential customers and buyers and has done just that. The company's
sales reached $340 million in 2015, which rivaled that of Victoria's Secret but were not enough to beat out the lingerie giant.
Why is it that a company aimed at representing the whole can't beat out a superpower that only represents the few?
Because consumers are on a constant quest to obtain an ideal lifestyle, one that exhibits an idealistic version of themselves, seeing models that truly look like the average, everyday person does not satiate our pursuit of perfection; they simply quell it, making us feel complacent with nothing to mentally lust after. For some, this bombardment of beauty
is the fuel necessary for an eating disorder to claw its way out of the depths of the mind and to the surface.
There is a misconstrued idea that eating disorders are a choice, but in reality they are mental illnesses that can easily be influenced and strengthened by external factors. They do not come about from a simple desire to lose weight or be thin, but if the spark, the potential predisposition to developing an eating disorder is there, it isn't difficult to ignite. As a society, we can all claim to truly back companies that represent the average woman and perpetuate a body-positive climate, but at the end of the day, the flow
of money to companies just like Victoria's Secret speaks for itself.
We are completely and utterly image-obsessed. We have singlehandedly created an environment in which feelings of inadequacy and eating disorders can cultivate and will continue to do so unless we undergo a major paradigm shift in what we accept as ideal and expect from our media and advertising outlets.
Danya Issawi is a sophomore from Kansas City studying journalism.
- Edited by Samantha Harms
FREE KE$HA
Gonzales: Involvement improves education
RACHEL GONZALES
@Rachellnoel
Getting involved on campus is one of the best ways students can make the most out of their college experience. The University offers a vast amount of opportunities to learn new things, connect with the school and community, and better prepare for the future after graduation. It is up to students to maximize the value of their education by seeking out and taking advantage of these opportunities.
One of the greatest benefits of getting involved on campus is that it helps students meet people with shared interests. For many students, especially those who come to the University from out of state, college is the first time they are away from friends and family. Joining organizations on campus introduces students to life-long relationships, helping them expand their social and professional networks.
Involvement in college has been statistically linked to success. According to Southern Illinois University Career Services, 70 percent
of all CEOs held at least one office in a club or organization during college. Clubs and organizations are great opportunities to hold leadership positions or practice applying tangible skills. Employers often look for experience when reviewing applications. At the very least, getting involved is an awesome resume builder. "Enjoying yourself in college and becoming passionately involved in campus activities can get your resume into that 'yes' pile," said Amanda Elser in USA Today.
Likewise, college is a time to explore and develop interests or passions. Being involved can take many forms. From Greek life to Student Senate to Black Student
Union to Advertising Club to Geography Club and everything in between, whatever the passion may be there is an organization for it at the University. If there's not, you could always start your own. These passions are what will drive students' futures.
Whether it's discovering a new passion or pursuing an old one, getting involved will ultimately help students on their path to success. It is never too early or too late to put yourself in a better post-graduate situation by getting involved. Lea Goldman, deputy editor of Marie Claire Magazine, says "Internships are no longer the differentiator [...] I look for entrepreneurialism and
College is unique in its ability to offer so many opportunities to connect with people and explore any number of passions. To not take advantage of these opportunities whenever possible would be to sell yourself short of the potential value of your college experience. There are an incredible amount of resources available to students, if students make the effort to connect with them.
involvement. I want to see something you're passionate about."
Rachel Gonzales is a junior from Fort Collins, Colo., studying journalism and sociology.
- Edited by Madi Schulz
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