Counseling center sponsors self-esteem week
“I think a huge piece of that is media, and people don’t realize just how poor our media role models are for self-esteem. What our culture tells us is valuable is different from what is actually valuable. People have a sense that you have to look a certain way, have a lot of attention and have the right labels to be valuable,” said Jennifer Strole, counselor and coordinator of outreach services.
Challenges exist because our generation faces much more expectations of what is beautiful and successful in society. College is a place to search for your own identity, but external social or media based pressures can skew what’s really important.
“A normal part of growing up is looking around for role models and sources of identity. College is a time that can become very unhealthy if people you’re looking up to have totally unrealistic and unattainable standards,” Strole said. “You have to recognize what your personal best is and make that your point of comparison.”
Last week’s self-esteem celebration offered events for both men and women participants to learn about campus resources and self-esteem boosting methods. GCSU support services, the Women’s Resource Center, Counseling Services and Peers Advocating Wellness Successfully sponsored the events.
Kicking off the week, a male focused showing of the film “Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinity” was based on critiquing issues from a male perspective
Male Showing
Jennifer Graham-Stephens, leader of the Women’s Resource Center, said the guys who showed up were excited that the WRC programmed something for them.
“We specifically addressed issues for men with the ‘Tough Guise’ program, because I think people hear self-esteem and automatically assume it’s a women’s issue,” Strole said.
According to Strole, males and females generally differ in how they derive self-esteem. Male’s esteem hinges on efficacy issues dealing with the capability to perform and being competitive in some way. With females, self-esteem is more about being liked in a relational sense.
Breast Casting
The most popular event administered by the WRC was an artistic expression of the female figure known as breast casting. Stephens said about 31 people participated.
“We had to turn people away Wednesday afternoon,” Stephens said. “Generally, people did it to celebrate themselves and the things they’ve accomplished.”
Packing tape was used for the breast cast figure. Participants got to decorate the mold last Friday.
Junior Spanish major Jennifer McCuen said she saw the event as a good chance for women to get together and be excited about their bodies. Taylor Walker, a junior nursing major, agreed.
“It’s good to express ourselves as women,” Walker said. “It’s something to be proud of and shows we are proud of being who we are.”
Special events assistant for the WRC Kim O’ Toole, said she did the casting for more than herself. Toole enjoyed seeing new faces show up to the center.
“I just wanted to be part of (breast casting) because it’s really cool how diverse everybody is. I appreciated seeing all the different shapes, colors and designs,” Toole said. “It was more about bonding then to have it actually made for myself. It’s awesome to have something this creative and relaxed for people to come in and see we are here for them and each other.”
Stephens got the idea from a regional women’s center conference two years ago. One of the director’s had a plaster bust hanging on her wall, which inspired Stephens to bring a version to GCSU.
“One of the art professors suggested that I look into using packing tape for a tape casting. I practiced on my arm and then had a friend do a bust of myself to see if it would work,” Stephens said.
Positive feedback has come from participants who hope to see the event again next year. Strole is an advocate of art therapy as a technique to symbolize inner strength against unfair social expectations.
“I think women internalize a tremendous amount of shame about body image in this culture. There is this idea that if you don’t look perfect it’s your fault because you’re too lazy or cheap to fix it,” Strole said. “Breast casting is a symbolic way of saying, ‘I’m not perfect, but I like not being perfect’.”
Tips to monitor self-esteem:
Know how the media affects you
Seek out positive media in the form of TV, books, etc.
Avoid thinking you are too great or too lousy
Try to hang out with good role models
Forgive yourself for mistakes
Celebrate your strengths and achievements
Be sure you are not judging yourself against unreasonable standards
Positive self talk instead of self-defeating negativity
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 10 2009. Filed under Features.
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