"Firm your breasts with yoga," proclaimed Ophira Edut, quoting a cover story of a popular fitness periodical. "After all," said Edut sarcastically, "Why get in touch with your spirit if you can't get a few extra 'perks' out of it?"
To an attentive gathering of nearly 150 people in the Newcomb Hall Commonwealth room last night, Edut, 26, an Israeli-born feminist writer, lecturer and magazine editor, pontificated on the perils that modern women undergo in the face of a "very image saturated culture."
Women are presented with an ideal that is unattainable for the vast majority, Edut said.
But according to the media, "There's almost a recipe for the perfect woman: sugar, butter and eggs, just add water," she said.
The problem of female body image has spread throughout the world, she added.
Edut discussed the practice of dieting, pointing out that 50 percent of American women do so regularly. She also touched on plastic surgery in Asia, noting that the cosmetic surgery industry on that continent is trying to make women believe that their almond-shaped eyes need to be "fixed."
Edut also spoke about the oppression of women in Afghanistan. Women in that country are not permitted to leave their homes unless they are accompanied by a male escort, and then they must cover themselves completely from head to toe, she said.
Edut described the practice of "stealing beauty" in Bangladesh -- when the jilted beau of a beautiful woman takes revenge upon the woman by throwing acid on her face. She cited a plastic surgeon in Brazil who performs his services pro bono, so that his countrywomen might be "the most beautiful in the world."
Edut's focus was not entirely international, however -- she also brought a unique personal perspective into her speech.
Growing up as an Israeli-American Jew, Edut said she has borne the weight of the media's oppression.
Indicating her own long nose, prominent cheekbones and generous curves, Edut explained that as a girl, "I really didn't see girls in the magazines that looked like me."
Meghan Smith, a first-year College student who attended the discussion, appreciated Edut's relation of her experiences.
"I thought her personal background as an Israeli-American helped her use her own experiences to express what she was going to say," Smith said.
Robert Wolf, however, a Charlottesville resident who attended the discussion, said he found Edut's perspective a trifle narrow.
The discussion "was billed as being a study of body image around the world," Wolf said. "Her perspective was entirely of her own personal experiences" and she "superimposed it on every example she came upon," even those from other cultures, he said.
But most of the event's audience, which was overwhelmingly young and female, seemed to appreciate Edut's voice. Laura Serico, a senior at James Madison University, had nothing but praise for Edut.
"As a feminist, I support everything she had to say," Serico said.
Loretta Edwards, a fourth-year College student and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., which co-sponsored the event, was even more enthusiastic.
"Ophira's so real," Edwards said. "A lot of stuff [she said] I could relate to."
Emily Lape, a clinical social worker in the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services at Student Health, pointed out that the University has several resources to help students who are facing some of the issues that Edut addressed. Lape now is leading two groups that aim to help students who are struggling with eating disorders.
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