By Angel Feliciano, News Staff
Even Victoria’s Secret Angels are affected by body image issues.
In a public forum Monday at Harvard Univeristy, Dutch model Doutzen Kroes, who began working for the lingerie chain in 2004, said she has struggled with her self-confidence.
“I believe every single person has her own insecurities,” Kroes said. “I don’t even know what to say when I get a picture taken and then I see the after-product.”
Panel members, which also included Arianna Huffington, editor of the Huffington Post Media Group, and Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia, discussed the influence of society and the media on body image.
Dr. David Herzog, director of the Harris Center for Eating Disorder Education and Advocacy at Massachusetts General Hospital, led the talk, entitled “Health is Beauty: Defining Ourselves.” The center focuses on education and outreach and hosts annual public forums.
Panelists shared professional and personal experiences and voiced their perspectives on raising awareness for eating disorders.
Huffington said she decided to participate in the panel because both her daughters have struggled with eating disorders.
“I first noticed it with my youngest daughter, Isabella,” Huffington said. “I missed the first signs, but on her 12th birthday, she refused to eat her birthday cake. It rang to me that she had a problem and I took her to the hospital.”
Herzog said a number of factors can lead to eating disorders.
“It is mainly psychological problems,” Herzog said. “There is lots of depression and stress. Genetics play a role, too.”
The panelists also discussed overcoming body image issues. Sozzani said she believes young people can have a positive impact on each another.
“All of you are responsible [for] other young people,” Sozzani said. “If you know that they are not happy, struggling with a disease, then you yourself can help them.”
For students battling body image issues, on-campus resources include Northeastern’s Eating and Weight Concerns Project (NEWCOPE), a program that provides information and referrals to people suffering from eating disorders. NEWCOPE president Michelle Marini, a middler psychology major with a concentration in counseling, said the media is important in shaping body image.
“It plays every sort of role,” Marini said. “It completely influences society today. I absolutely believe that – without even consciously knowing it – people are trying to change their body based on what they see.”
Marini said seeing thin celebrities can push people to try crash diets or over-exercise to lose weight.
“Girls will watch these athletes, models, these elite people that aren’t actually what the normal, average person looks like, and they’ll try and change their body to look more like that person,” Marini said.
Regardless of where body image issues originate, Sozzani stressed the importance of support networks in keeping self-confidence high.
“Young people need to be connected to something, make them feel they are valued,” Sozanni said. “Make them feel they are part of something and feel respected. Respect is key. Try to find ways to help make them feel they are valued.”
Kroes said the modeling industry can be tough, but having a strong support system helped her self-confidence.
“I have a solid background and a great family who supports me and loves me for who I am,” Kroes said.
Marini said the media’s influence could be more positive, but change may be slow.
“Having said that, there are companies like Dove,” Marini said. The company’s “Real Beauty” campaign is meant to portray average women, she said. “It’s a step in the right direction, I have to say.”
Huffington said people can’t wait for society to change, but must create change themselves.
“There’s nothing more powerful than young women talking to younger women about being healthy and body issues,” Huffington said. “We have a responsibility to do the job. We cannot wait for society to change. It may be too late.”
Ultimately, Huffington said the best way is to “not just accept ourselves and our bodies but to actually embrace them.”
Kroes said she agreed.
“A Victoria’s Secret model – that’s a fantasy we feel we need to live up to,” she said. “We have to accept that we are not like that. We just have to embrace what we have and love ourselves.”
