Tri Delta fights to end fat talk

By Nora Molinaro, For The Miami Student

From coast to coast, Tri Delta sorority chapters across North America raised awareness about the damaging impact of the 'thin ideal' by participating in Fat Talk Free Week. October 20-24 was Tri Delta's seventh annual Fat Talk Free Week.

Fat Talk describes any statement that reinforces the thin ideal standard of beauty and contributes to an individual's dissatisfaction with his or her body.

According to a survey by BodyImage3D Education, 70 million people worldwide struggle with eating disorders and 54 percent of women said they would rather be hit by a truck than be 'fat.'

Tri Delta created BodyImage3D in 2012 as a multi-dimensional approach to body image awareness and education. Not only do the 3 'Ds' stand for delta delta delta, but they symbolize 3 key components to body image: healthy mind, healthy body and healthy spirit.

The national sorority partnered with Operation Beautiful for the third year in a row. Together, Operation Beautiful and Tri Delta chapters worldwide promote body image awareness and a fat talk free lifestyle by simply posting anonymous positive notes in public places.

President of the Delta Beta chapter at Miami Emily Due said the goal of the week was to encourage people to view their bodies in a positive way and continue to do so in the future.

Members of the Delta Beta chapter at Miami used social media to kick off the Fat Talk Free awareness week Monday. The Miami Ohio Tri Delta twitter page posted, "Today begins Fat Talk Free Week! Take this week to focus on body positivity. Together, we can strive for the healthy ideal."

The sticky notes were placed all around campus for people to find Tuesday. What started as sorority sisters leaving notes attached to mirrors resulted in a lot of students smiling from the uplifting words.

"On Tuesday, I found six different sticky notes in various women's restrooms on campus," sophomore Annie Hunt said. "Sometimes on campus I catch myself constantly comparing my wardrobe and appearance to the girl in front of me at Miami Ice. Seeing those notes telling me that I was 'a sprinkle cupcake in a world full of muffins' made me laugh and feel empowered to be who I am."

Wednesday was special for the Tri Delta sisters as they spent time as a chapter to reflect and celebrate the progress of the week.

On Thursday, the chapter set up a table in the Armstrong Student Center, equipped with the Fat Talk Free Pledge for students to sign. In doing so, they were promising to celebrate the things about themselves and the people in their lives that have nothing to do with how people look.

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Sophomore and Tri Delta member Madeline Dougherty said she was shocked yet utterly proud of the amount of students who signed the pledge to end 'fat talk' on campus.

Although the official Fat Talk Free Week has come and gone, students continue to take a stand to view others and themselves in a positive light to completely eliminate all forms of Fat Talk.