Some of you will be aware that since May 2007 the Students Union have had a policy on Negative Body Image. This has been a vital policy, particularly for women in our union. We must remember the role the media plays in creating unattainable goals for women and men alike in their appearance. We’re constantly bombarded with images of skinny women and muscular men, the Negative Body Image Policy has played an integral role in shaping the kinds of images the SU use in marketing events for students.
For a woman (or man) to experience a negative body image is damaging to so many aspects of their life. Negative body image can manifest in a number of ways causing eating disorders, depression and even self harm. Although there are a number of services and support systems in place for people who experience a negative body image, it can still impact people’s lives on a number of levels, including their job, relationships and education.
I will ensure that the UDSU produce a leaflet on the effects of negative body image, which will include information on local support services.
Developing a positive body image and a healthy mental attitude is crucial to a woman’s happiness and wellness. I will do everything in my power to ensure that the Negative Body Image Policy is successfully renewed in 2010 and that the policy is consistently upheld in all the Union does.
Concern with appearance is not just an aberration of Modern Western culture. Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the ideal physical attributes. In the 19th Century being beautiful meant wearing a corset – causing breathing and digestive problems. Now we try to diet and exercise ourselves into the fashionable shape – often with even more serious consequences. — Social Issues Research Centre.
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(image source: Flickr by little peppercorn)
Lu Samson studies Environmental Science and Environmental Management and is in her third year at the University of Derby. Previously in post as Ethics and Environment officer she has been involved with the Union, and writing for Dusted, for some time. 
