#everyBODY Mission

I am your Miss Kirkwood 2023 and ready to hit the Miss Missouri stage for the second time this summer! As a part of the title, each candidate has a social impact initiative which is also known as a platform. My social impact initiative is called, #everyBODY.

My mission for #everyBODY goes beyond bringing awareness regarding negative body image. I am striving to eliminate the stereotypes so that each person who is a victim of an eating disorder can obtain validity. While personally being in the recovery phase for the past eight months, I will inspire others to begin their journey to recovery and rise above the toxic standards society has set for us. The branding strategy of #everyBODY follows the mission to unveil that everybody is beautiful and unique in their own ways. Body image and disordered eating patterns are not exclusive in terms of whom they may affect. Any race, gender, generation, size, background, and ability can fall victim to eating disorders such as; anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, and body dysmorphia. To shift mindsets that the media and society have conditioned us to believe, I will make the media a safe space for the freedom of self-expression with body-image. From the start of my recovery, I have been uploading content on Instagram and TikTok where I have been documenting my recovery journey to inspire my followers about balance and food freedom.

I strive to educate Missouri's youth about the importance of nutrition, a balanced, healthy lifestyle, and positive body-image. We may not realize it but many of our behaviors are the results of our patterns and beliefs from our childhood. If children are taught about nutrition and body-image at a young age, they will most likely implement those habits and ideas that they are taught into their futures. Missouri's youth is our future leaders and it is our duty to work together to set them up for success, positivity, and the development of good habits. Even though I have started carrying out this social impact initiative, I am inviting every one of you to be a part of it.

“What can I do to be a part of this mission?”

1.Be more mindful about sharing diet culture ideas on social platforms.

Before you type or share content relating to diets/fitness ask yourself, “is this uplifting to all who may view it?” Consider the overall theme of the message you are sharing. Are you informing your audience that they need to do heavy restrictions or engage in an activity that is going to be at high risk of mental or physical harm? This is the first step of taking toxic diet culture away from the media and making it a more inclusive place. How do we see these messages pop up on our feed in the first place? It comes from high engagement within the algorithm you are using related to likes, shares, comments, etc.

2. Please, stop invalidating!

If somebody that you know hints to you that they are struggling with their body image, please listen to them and do not shut them down. There is no problem with complimenting them and reminding them of how amazing they truly are inside and out. Something that is often seen and heard about in diet culture is that you have to have a certain “look” to have an eating disorder. An example of what I would hear when I was suffering from my eating disorders the most was, “You look so healthy! If you had an eating disorder you would be just skin and bones!” SO FALSE! I thought it was a signal to push myself even harder and prove them wrong. Remember, it can happen to #everyBODY !

3.DO NOT go out of your way to comment on somebody's body changing in terms of weight gain or weight loss, especially if they didn’t ask for an opinion.

When my weight loss became noticeable, somebody who knew me would comment on my weight almost everywhere I went. It became noticeable after lockdown when it was time for me to return to prom and high school graduation, which I thought wasn’t going to happen. Everyone was trying to get inspiration and ideas from me but I felt completely wrong telling them that I was just eating healthy and working out all the time. In reality, I was holding myself to the most unhealthy standards. It is very important to keep those thoughts to yourself if you notice somebody's body change. You never know what they are going through. When I heard these comments, it made me feel bad about my body and the way I thought I was perceived before the weight loss. I started to ask myself, “is this how I gain respect from people now?”

4.Use the hashtag #everyBODY!

Just like they said in High School Musical, we are all in this together. With social media content related you may post or share, use the hashtag #everyBODY. We need to make this hashtag trend better than those fad diets. If you struggled with body image and eating disorders in the past and you are willing to be transparent and make a change, do not be afraid of sharing your story, because I cannot express to you how many lives you may touch.