G4G Redefines Beauty: Outreach #2!

G4G Redefines Beauty

By Lauren Halligan 

          Homemade cardboard TV sets were placed around campus on October 25 and 26 by  the club Girls 4 God.  These displays featured magazine images of women being objectified, glued on the television screens, with words describing how women are falsely portrayed in the media. Alongside the TVs was the giant message: “You are more beautiful than this.” The displays, part of G4G’s second official club outreach, were located in the dining hall, outside of Camelot, the commuter lounge,and the Lima lobby.The displays, entirely handcrafted by the girls of G4G, included “pictures that both women and men may both find degrading to the female population. All of these pictures were found in magazines -pictures ranged from women with barely any clothing on to being placedin a sexual position with a male,” explained club member Christina Procida.The outreach was intended to bring to light the stereotypes of women created by the media, while reminding the women on campus that theyare beautiful, “actually … more beautiful than what society says,” said founder and project coordinator Tinamarie Stolz. “I feel that the media portrays beauty in such a narrow way, and women in such a negative way.” 

          “We feel that the media portrays women in a negative light, and sets an impossible standard of beauty,” said Stolz on behalf of G4G. Contrary to the media perspective, “We believe that every girl is beautiful, and that the media shouldn’t set the standard,” said Stolz. With the goal of a more confident female population, Procida said, “We want all women to see that beauty is found in every single person and in order for change to occur, we as women need to see it in ourselves as well.” 

           “As an outcome, the members of G4G hope that girls see that they do not need to live up to the standards that society has placed by needing to be too thin or too perfect in order for someone to love them,” said Procida.“We feel that the media portrays women in a sexualized way --sexualized means as sex objects only with no feelings, thoughts, oremotions,” said Stolz, clarifying that “We are not against sex, but against the sexualization of women.” While the issue at hand may be quite large, G4G's greatest hope is that the displays served as a reminder to women on campus that theyare intrinsically beautiful.For those walking past the displays last week, Stolz said “I hope it made them smile, and I hope that people who walked by were reminded of how beautiful they are!” Stolz noted that the outreach was part of a larger fundamental goal ofthe club, explaining that “...our major mission is to spread love, and empower women who are like ourselves!” G4G started their work as a club this semester, although the G4G blog has been running since December 2011. The fairly new group iscomprised of over a dozen female students who organize monthly outreaches to help empower women.Although the TV display idea started with Stolz, she said that it“could not have been executed without the hard work of the group,”adding “they’re really a group of wonderful and beautiful people.”

** This article was written by the WONDERFUL, KIND, and BEAUTIFUL Lauren Halligan!!! She is TRULY a fantastic writer, editor, and person. Thank you so much Lauren for your time writing this awesome article, and for your support!