Love Your Body Week Kicks Off Feb. 20
The weeklong series of events hosted by the Women’s & Gender Resource Center celebrates our bodies
Every year, the Women’s & Gender Resource Center (WGRC) hosts a weeklong series of events and activities designed to celebrate our bodies in all of their diversity. This year's events explore food cultures and practices, movement and dance, mindfulness and meditation, sexuality and identity. Students, staff and faculty are all welcome at the following informative, body-affirming and celebratory events!
Monday, Feb. 20
Yoga for Every Body – 12-1 p.m., Social Hall East
Join Julie Vastine for a beginner-friendly, body-positive, decolonial approach to body care through a drop-in lunchtime yoga session.
Kickoff Soirée – 5-7 p.m., Allison Community Room
Come help us get the party started! We'll celebrate Love Your Body Week with a DJ, performances, activities and lots of food! Various clubs and campus organizations will offer body-positive activities and information, and we’ll enjoy performances by the Syrens, Anwar, the Dance Theatre Group (DTG) and Hypnotic. Co-hosted by the Psychology Club.
International Potluck – 7-9 p.m., Social Hall
The Center for Spirituality & Social Justice (CSSJ) hosts a global celebration of Food for the Soul. This potluck event asks us to think about what foods have been central to our understanding of self. Come and bring a taste of your home to our table! RSVP on EngageD.
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Eating to Meet Athletic Goals – 12-1 p.m., Social Hall West
This lunchtime session is designed for those looking to align their eating with their athletic goals. When you’re training hard, how can you be sure you’re taking good care of your body’s needs? Dietician Courtney Hager explains how to fuel for maximum athletic performance for all different bodies, even using food from the Caf. Lunch will be served (and explained!). Co-hosted by the Department of Athletics.
Happy Body Hour – 5-6:30 p.m., The Site (25-27 W. High St.)
Led by Professor Erin Crawley-Woods and the team from DTG, learn Thai bodywork and self-care techniques aimed at easing tired bodies and minds. Participants will be giving and receiving hands-on work. Come in comfortable clothing and be ready to relax. Hosted by DTG.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Love Your Atypical Brain & Body – 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Social Hall West
Join the team from Access & Disability Services (ADS) for activities, swag and information about neuro and body diversity on campus and in our culture. Show your disability pride or allyship, learn a bit about what it’s like to experience the world through someone else’s body and get more information on what ADS can do for you. Drop in anytime during the extended lunch hour. Hosted by ADS.
Mindfulness Session – 4:30-5:30 p.m., Stern Great Room
Wouldn’t it be nice to just stop and breathe for a moment? Mindfulness is the practice of bringing attention to your current state without judging it in a meditation-like practice. Come join Megan Nesbitt, executive director of the Wellness Center, to learn more in a beginner-friendly mindfulness workshop to calm and connect. Hosted by the Wellness Center.
Keynote: Psyche Williams-Forson – 7-8:30 p.m., ATS
This year our speaker brings expertise in African-American food cultures, racism, body politics and popular culture. Williams-Forson is the author of Eating While Black: Food Shaming & Race in America and will share with us her talk “Bearing Witness to Myself: Womanness, Fatness, Blackness, Wholeness and the Twisted Work of Trauma.” Co-hosted by the Clarke Forum.
Thursday, Feb. 23
Open Dance Class – 12-1 p.m., Social Hall East
This drop-in lunchtime class will be led by DTG and will include stretching, strengthening, basic techniques, and a short combination. Come try connecting through movement in an inclusive and welcoming environment! No dance experience needed. Hosted by The Dance Theatre Group.
Pleasurable Sex Salon – 7-8:30 p.m., Allison Community Room
Sex can be one of the more complicated ways we engage with our bodies and those of others. Certified sex therapist Lexx Brown-James is here to answer all your questions about sex, exploration, communication and consent. Her presentation uses a sex-positive, queer- and gender-inclusive approach to healthy, and happy solo and partnered sexuality. Co-hosted by PALS.
Friday, Feb. 24
Loving Our Trans & Queer Bodies – 12-1 p.m. Landis House
Relationships with our bodies can be especially complicated for people identifying as non-binary, gender non-conforming, and LGBTQ+. Come learn and share ways to engage with and love your queer body in a safe and affirming space. We’ll have activities, discussion and snacks (feel free to bring your own lunch). Hosted by the Office of LGBTQ Services.
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Published February 17, 2023