University students, administrators, and health professionals gathered at an inaugural speak-out vigil last night in order to recognize and bring greater awareness to eating disorders.
"Perfect Illusions" co-creators fourth-year College student Anne Fishwick and third-year College student Whitney Snyders, interns at the newly formed University committee U.Va. C.A.R.E.S., said they were driven to organize the event because they saw an absence of discussion about eating disorders and body image on Grounds.
"Our goal is to break the illusion that everything is okay, and that there is no problem. By starting a dialogue, we can better understand that with body image, what has become normalized in our University culture isn't normal," Fishwick said.
Lilac glowsticks held by each attendee lit the dimmed hall, while speakers shared personal stories, read literature passages and poems. Representatives from resource groups shared information with audience members.
In a survey conducted by the Office of Health Promotion during National Eating Disorders Week last semester, 14 percent of 322 surveyed students acknowledged having an eating disorder.
"Although we have Eating Disorders Awareness Week, an event like this not only serves to create a place to hear the message, but a time to actively come forward with stories," Fishwick said. "Up until this point, eating disorders have been a taboo topic. They have not really been recognized as a serious issue."
Snyders said she hopes to bring understanding to the pervasive nature of eating disorders.
"Disordered eating comes in so many shapes and sizes, it's not easily detectable," Snyders said. "Due to its insidious nature, it can easily keep up illusions."
Allison Beaver, Director of the Office of Health Promotion at Student Health, said she hopes the event served to raise awareness of disordered eating at the University. She said concerned students have numerous resources available to them, from organized groups to individual friends.
"Students are so lucky to have so many free resources open to them, which elsewhere would incur sizeable costs," Beaver said. "We can each be drops in the bucket. Often, it's only after hearing something many times that an individual will realize they must work towards making peace with themselves."
Fishwick and Snyders said they hope "Perfect Illusions" will only be the start of a renewed effort to alleviate eating disorders.
"We hope that students will be receptive and it will continue over the years," Fishwick said. "It's the beginning of a healthy tradition at the University and we already see the positive effect."
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