Body positivity day had the hall filled with bright, colorful Post-it notes stuck to the outline of a human body. The post-it’s depicted the community of St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s recognition of the beauty of themselves and others. The third annual “Body Positivity Day” on Dec. 1, was  hosted by Her Space, a student group dedicated to discussing issues relating to women. Students and faculty  took the time to acknowledge what they like about their body to promote positive body image.

“I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to make yourself look better or lose weight and especially [for women] to look pretty. For me, seeing a bunch of sticky notes on that silhouette is kind of empowering. It’s an important reminder that people are a lot better than they think they are.” Adnan Askari said.

Many students found it reassuring that SPA students and faculty supported body positivity. “To see that a whole community feels a certain way is really impactful,” senior Naya Tadavarthy said.

Tadavarthy also appreciated the positive environment that Body Positivity Day encouraged. “Making sure to foster a positive environment can be really productive in encouraging people to think positively about themselves. That could be by giving them compliment about something they have done or how they have presented themselves can be really helpful,” Tadavarthy said.

This story was originally published in the Rubicon print edition: December 2017