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Fashion show to raise body image awareness

The Women’s Center and WTTU-FM are hosting the annual Project Reality Runway fashion show during dead hour Oct. 23 in the Multipurpose Room in the RUC.  

This alternative fashion show opens to all Tech students and faculty to strut their stuff with WTTU personalities emceeing down the catwalk on national Love Your Body Day.
The holiday was started in 1998 by the National Organization for Women, which celebrates and honors the body without any type of judgments. The day focuses on a positive body image and tries to resist degrading media advertisements.
“With Project Reality Runway, we re-imagine an instrument of the fashion/popular culture industry, adapt it to our own rules and call it ‘Reality,’ not to be confused with Reality TV,” Diana Lalani, secretary for the women’s center, said. “We embrace diversity in size, shape, shade, race, gender expression, style and personality.”
Students are encouraged to wear clothes that they’re comfortable in and express their personalities.
 “It was a fun and low-key way to express myself and celebrate my body type,” sophomore track runner Brooklyn Kimball, who walked in the show last year, said. “I was trying to portray that even though I can be sporty, I can still express myself and make things work for my certain body type.”
This will be the fourth production of the event.  It always includes women and men on the catwalk, portraying both in a positive light. The show is put on to celebrate bodies in all their diversity.
“Our models have accentuated their personal style and strengths, and so the audience can’t help but respond with applause and celebration,” Lalani said.
The Women’s Center is encouraging students to sign up ahead of time to walk in the show, as they will only be taking the first 20 models.  Auditions will be Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. until noon in the Women’s Center, which is located in Pennebaker room 203.