Media puts an immense amount of pressure on today’s society to look a certain way to achieve beauty. When that certain appearance is not reached, girls and boys become critical of their own looks. They also become disappointed and, as a result, make poor choices to create a better appearance. As a way to fight against these standards, REbeL, was formed at Blue Valley Northwest.
In 2008 a group of Northwest students met with psychologist Laura Eickman and discussed issues among today’s society. They decided they did not want to listen to the media’s definition of ‘beautiful’ and instead created their own.
Eickman was very supportive of the program from the start because she had seen the effects media had on the clients in her private practice.
“I decided to try to do something to improve that culture,” Eickman said. “Not just for my clients but for all the people who are negatively impacted by those unhealthy messages.”
REbeL wants its members to rebel against making appearance more important than health while at the same time to be aware of the issues and critical of the media.
Northwest junior Shane Smith joined her sophomore year after hearing about it through her media and pop culture class.
“The main reason that I joined was because I wanted to help spread the word about eating disorders and help people see that everyone is beautiful,” Smith said. “I really liked the message that the group was trying to send to the student body.”
Next year, the REbeL program will be coming to Blue Valley Southwest. Students around the school have already received applications for the club.
Library media specialist Lindsay Hogan will be the sponsor for the club. In the past, she has been involved in similar programs that dealt with body image and talked about how to be healthy.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Hogan said. “I’m hoping for a really good group of people.”
Applications are open to all students and will be available in the library. Depending on the number of applicants, there may be an interview process involved.
Members of Northwest’s REbeL are very happy to see that their club is now going to be in more schools.
“I love that REbeL is spreading,” Smith said. “The message that we send is so amazing and it is applicable to everyone.”
Even though the club does not begin until next year, students can be involved with the program starting now. On April 28, REbeL will hold its annual walk to celebrate different body types as well as to have some fun. The walk will be held at Blue Valley Northwest and is a three mile course. It is $15 per person and all ages are welcome.
The event will have music as well as a photo booth. Not to mention, there will be T-shirts and food from six different vendors, including Chick-fil-A.
“The purpose of the walk is to really bring the community together and surround them with a positive environment,” Smith said. “Last year, the walk touched so many different people and people left feeling more confident about themselves and just generally felt a lot happier. The walk will probably make your week at the very least, but hopefully it will change your outlook on things and you will want to become more involved with REbeL and what we do.”
