This past Monday, March 2, female SHU students took to Instagram with a different messages behind their smiles and a different agenda in their captions. Untouched by a single stroke of a makeup brush, they posted selfies and hashtagged #NoMakeupMonday, #ANADWeek. Delta Phi Epsilon presents Anorexia Nervosa Associated Disorders week, a week dedicated to spreading awareness for eating disorders. Some recalled the courage it took to post the picture and others joked that makeup isn’t necessary, it’s all about the lighting. “A lot of eating disorders occur in people our age, on college campuses and we try to raise awareness about them as well as getting people to ‘Love their Body,’” said Becca Dambrosia, vice president of membership development of Delta Phi Epsilon. Dambrosia said ANAD is one of their national philanthropies and ANAD fundraising has been in effect at SHU since 1989. Although there are no specifics about the celebration of ANAD Week, according to Dambrosia, this year they held events Monday through Thursday. On Monday and Tuesday they tabled outside of the cafeteria and outside of the Main Lounge respectively with the themes “Trash Your Insecurities” and “Pledge to Love Your Body.” Wednesday they remembered those who have been affected by eating disorders with a candlelight vigil in the Living Room and today they are encouraging everyone to wear purple to promote ANAD awareness. Delta Phi Epsilon is working with Alpha Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Sigma Phi, Phi Kappa Theta, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Pi and Alpha Sigma Tau to make this week a success, Dambrosia said. Olivia Hanlon, a member of Alpha Phi, said she attended the candlelight vigil and expressed sentiments of Greek unity. “I think Greeks really enjoy coming together for each other’s events,” Hanlon said. “After joining a Greek organization, you truly become committed and passionate about your philanthropy. It is nice to support each other’s events because we understand the mutual commitment to our chapters’ philanthropies.” Dambrosia said everyone in the SHU community is encouraged to participate. “In my opinion, I don’t care who you are, there has been something about yourself that has made you self-conscious,” said Carly Muhlhahn, a junior and president of the Seton Hall Collegiate Panhellenic Council. “ANAD isn’t just about raising awareness about eating disorders but to make us think about how great we are as individuals.” While promoting self worth, ANAD week also seeks to eliminate putting others down. Muhlhahn said people should be aware of how their actions and words impact others and until they realize how negatively they can affect others, there is a need for ANAD week. Dambrosia said she hopes ANAD week will heighten awareness of those affected by ANAD and that people will recognize the importance of valuing and loving oneself inside and out. “Understanding that this is a serious disease that as a community we can actively work to combat by helping to encourage those we know struggle with it to get help and supporting each other to embrace their own body image and build each individual’s self-confidence and self worth,” Dambrosia said. Michelle Foti can be reached at michelle.foti@student.shu.edu.
Comments
