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The Post-it notes have made their way around campus, and they hold a message bigger than the small surface they are written on.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, there are approximately 10 million females and 1 million males currently battling eating disorders. NEDA also reports that 80 percent of American women currently are dissatisfied with their personal appearance.
With these statistics in mind, University Health & Counseling Services decided to make a difference. For National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Feb. 21-27, UCHS decided to bring Operation Beautiful to campus.
“It’s much easier and less threatening for people to respond to an anonymous Post-it note and definitely makes people feel better,” UHCS counselor Jill Mallin said. “We really wanted to try that route and get the whole campus involved in this.”
Operation Beautiful was founded by a 25-year-old Florida woman, Caitlin Boyle. A technical writer at an urban planning firm, Boyle began to tire of hearing her colleagues make negative comments about their bodies. One day, she posted a Post-It note on a bathroom mirror at her work. It read, “You are beautiful.”
Boyle then took a picture of the note and posted it on her blog, encouraging others to do the same. The response was overwhelming.
Since the Web site’s creation in June 2009, hundreds of women and men have left anonymous Post-its to help fight negative body images.
Mallin said the transition into college is one of the biggest risk factors in
the development of eating disorders.
“There [are] a lot of changes that happen in those four or five years,” she said. “Feeling good about yourself and your body can really help protect students from falling into an unhealthy diet or exercise behaviors.”
UCHS distributed more than 500 packs of Post-it notes to various student organizations, Resident Life and campus departments. Students have already taken to the project and notes have been posted throughout campus.
Mallin said just because someone may not look like they have an eating disorder doesn’t mean the symptoms aren’t there.
“Anytime a student is using food or exercise to cope with other things going on in their life, we need to take a step back and find a healthier way for them to deal with those stresses,” Mallin said.
Senior Elise Brancamp said she was at first unsure of the Post-its.
“At first I thought [Operation Beautiful] was a joke,” Brancamp said. “I feel like most girls have pretty good body image, but there [are] certainly some who really suffer from negative self-esteem, and that’s where I’m glad there [are] programs like this out there.”
Sophomore Jordan Roupp said the movement is important to have on campus.
“I think that a lot of people might look past it and not think anything of it,” Roupp said. “I really believe that if it even ... helps one person, that’s all that is important.”
Counseling services for eating disorders are available at the UHCS. To make a confidential appointment, students can call (262) 472-1305. All appointments are free for students.
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