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SALT LAKE CITY -- An eating disorder awareness group at the University of Utah called SPEAK is hosting a campaign this week called "Love Your Body" to help women learn to be comfortable with who they are.
Eating disorder counselor and University of Utah assistant professor Justine Reel says 80-percent of women don't love their bodies, but SPEAK wants to help women - and men - focus on the positive things about themselves.
Volunteers will be putting up post-it notes around the valley with inspirational messages that encourage people to recognize the beauty and strength in their bodies. They've also interviewed people on the university campus about what they like about their bodies.
Ten million women and one million men suffer from eating disorders. And Reel believes that figure is grossly underreported. She says part of the reason the numbers are so high is society has a dieting mentality. Women are trained from an early age to be dissatisfied with their bodies, to watch what they eat and fear gaining weight.
Images of thin celebrities and models are also a template to which women strive to be. Girls think that is what they are supposed to look like. So when does the obsessing about your weight and body turn into something unhealthy? Reel says it's all in the frequency of the thoughts. But this week SPEAK is trying to empower people to take action and examine how they feel about food and their body image. They feature several events throughout the week that are free and open to the public. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, they will screen the Sundance documentary "Miss Representation" at the Salt Lake City Main Library from 7-9 p.m. Thursday they will feature a panel discussion and Friday participants can attend a yoga class.
