Tonight’s workshop was held by Lyn Staack, the Youth Community Educator at the Advocacy Center.  She instructed us to share our thoughts towards food, body, and exercise with a partner.  At first, I did not realize the social and cultural connections between our favorite childhood food and personhood.  As Lyn continued with her poem reading and commentary, I started to see how the outside world, especially the media, could influence how we eat, how we act, and how we see our body.  She also asked us to act out how we exercise and think about what we feel about the pose.

The workshop challenged me to think about why we perceive our body a certain way and why we put certain food in our body.  A more important aspect of body image is how we react to other people’s opinions.  Do you avoid certain foods because of the stereotypes?  Do you eat certain foods only because of your family?  Would you change your diet or exercise routine if only your personal desires are taken into consideration?  These are some questions to be answered when you think about your body.  Ultimately, are you happy with your body and who you are?