Coastal Carolina University will sponsor Love Your Body Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, on the Lib Jackson Student Center Deck from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at CCU to raise awareness of body image and health issues. The event is free and open to the public.

“The way people feel about their bodies is a result of social and cultural expectations of what they should look like,” said Julinna Oxley, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. “Love Your Body Day serves to build self-esteem among everyone, especially women, regarding their physical appearance, no matter what the magazines suggest. This year the focus is on bellies – and yes, we want people to love their love handles and move their midsections like belly-dancers.”

In celebration of “Love My Belly,” the campus will offer Zumba and Hula exhibitions, hula -hoop competitions, sumo suit wrestling and a dance-off to the song “I Love Your Belly,” by Cowboy Mouth. There will also be free healthy snacks, poster displays by health promotion students, free eating disorder screenings with a chance to win an iPod, and other fun activities to bring positive awareness to the students at CCU.

Love Your Body Day is a national event that invites citizens to speak out against industries and ads that use negative images that lead women to believe their bodies are unworthy. The aim of the event is to challenge the stereotypes that discriminate against people based on the way they look. Love Your Body Day is sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation.

The local event at CCU is sponsored by the Nutrition and Well Being Coalition. For more information about the event, contact the counseling office at 843-349-2305.