Auburn University hosts Love Your Body Day

If there’s any truth to that saying about one’s body being a temple, then housekeeping was the message of the day at the Auburn Community Love Your Body Day in the ballroom of the Auburn University Student Center Tuesday.

The event was aimed at redefining society’s perception of beauty to include more diverse representations of the human form.

The original concept for Love Your Body Day was started by NOW (National Organization for Women), according to Annie Gilbertson, director of Auburn Community Love Your Body Day and president of the Auburn Feminist Alliance.

Auburn University sponsors for Love Your Body Day included the AU Multicultural Center, Omega Phi Alpha service sorority and the AU School of Nursing. Sponsors had tables with free information on topics ranging from safe sex to smoking cessation, games and other items.

When it comes to doling out responsibility for what some might think of as an unhealthy concept of beauty in today’s society, Gilbertson, a senior English student at Auburn, said she doesn’t think the media is solely to blame.

“The problem goes much deeper than that,” said Gilbertson. “It’s deeply embedded in our culture to want a certain type of exclusivity and these are issues that affect men just as much as they affect women.

“I think it’s important to bring both issues about how one feels about their body on the outside as well as what’s going on on the inside to the forefront. If you don’t understand about heart disease or diabetes, how can you protect yourself against them?”

And when it comes to beauty, senior nursing student Kevin Goodwin has his own unique take on it.

“When people think about beauty they might think of their appearance, but I think beautiful is living a long and healthy life,” said Goodwin who along with fellow students Jennifer Andress and Christy Mattison had a table set up at the Love Your Body Day event where they handed out information about diabetes and heart disease prevention. “People need to remember that beauty starts within them and how they treat themselves inside, eventually shows up on the outside.”