Fashion celebrates all body shapes and sizes in the fifth annual Project Reality Runway show later this month on Tennessee Tech’s campus.
The Women’s Center’s Love Your Body Day committee will be presenting the show Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room. The models, both men and women, embrace their bodies and wear an attitude that shares that appreciation.
Hannah Nash, a co-facilitator of the peer support group B.I.D.E. (Body Image and Disordered Eating) as well as a Tech student that has participated in the show in the past spoke about the event.
“The fashion show is a way for people of all shapes and styles to express themselves and feel confident,” said Nash. “Anyone can be a model and wear whatever they feel most comfortable and confident in.”
According to Nash, there are usually more students than professors that participate.
Throughout the show, the audience will receive Love Your Body Day goodies, listen to music and be entertained by the modeling of other Tech students, staff and faculty. The staff of the show hopes to bring excitement and encourage self-esteem. Attendees that come dressed representing their personalities could be featured on the Be-You-tiful display.
This alternative fashion show demonstrates how to honor positive body images and to ignore the media’s negative remarks. Over the course of the production, the audience will be informed with research about body image, healthy choices, diversity and social and self-esteem issues. Handouts will be available at the show and have information ranging from healthy relationships to eating disorders.
Auditions will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 16 in the Multipurpose Room. Tech students, faculty and staff are all invited to join.
“This is not about fashion; it is about using a fashion platform to celebrate our bodies,” said Diana Lalani, administrative associate in the Women’s Center. “While many of our participants are fashion conscious, it is not the fashion that we focus on but the body-love of the wearer.”
The Women’s Center, WTTU, TTU Lambda and Bully Free Tennessee organizations on campus are the sponsors this year. To view pictures of last year’s event, visit the TTU Women’s Center’s Facebook page.
