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The McKelvy House Scholars invite the campus to join them in a dinner discussion exploring body image on Sunday, April 1.
The meal will begin at 6 p.m. at McKelvy House, 200 High Street. Jenny Boyar ’08 (Hillsborough, N.J.), an English and psychology double major, and Arda Hotz ’08 (Mountainside, N.J.), a neuroscience major, will lead the discussion at 6:30 p.m.
Boyar and Hotz believe the discussion will serve as an excellent capstone for the body image events taking place at Lafayette throughout this week as part of Women’s History Month. They are interested in finding out what students believe they have learned about the subject after a week of pertinent events.
Boyar and Hotz will challenge students to define body image, exploring if this definition is contingent upon variables like time and place. Students will be asked to ponder to what extent identity can be localized within the body, and if identity is found within the body, why so many people abuse their bodies.
They also will address the current cultural preoccupation with thinness. According to Boyar and Hotz, emaciation as an ideal makes little sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Participants will discuss how today’s cultural standards evolved to accommodate and glorify the thin ideal.
They also will discuss how an awareness of body image, as fostered by this week’s events, contributes to prevention of its related disorders and how awareness can bring about change.
Since 1962, the McKelvy House Scholars program has brought together Lafayette students with a wide range of majors and interests to reside in a historic off-campus house and share in intellectual and social activities. Weekly Sunday, and occasional Wednesday, dinner discussions that engage students in debate and exchange of ideas are the hallmark of the program. Most members also contribute to the annual McKelvy Papers, written on a topic of each person’s choice. McKelvy Scholars participate in activities together such as field trips to plays, concerts, and exhibits, and sponsor events for the campus as well.
Previous discussions: