Dal talks body image

Student with sister recovering from anorexia hopes that Body Image Week broadened minds

Allison Chabassol, a volunteer at the Dalhousie Women's Centre, is trying to get people talking about body image. Photo: Emilie Bourque

Allison Chabassol knows how important it is to keep a healthy body image. Her younger sister was recently released from hospital after battling anorexia.

The sisters were both students at Dalhousie University last year, living in an apartment together. Chabassol says her sister started to get sick in the summer and didn't start recovering until Christmas. She says it was a devastating thing to watch.

"Anorexia is a battle. It's not just a battle for the person who's suffering from it, it's a battle for everyone involved."

Raising awareness in an alternative way

Chabassol was a volunteer at the Dalhousie Women's Centre for two years before her sister's ordeal. As the current health co-ordinator, she knew she wanted to do something special during Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which falls the first full week in February annually, and was created by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre.

She says the women's centre likes to cover issues broadly, so they -- in conjunction with Halifax's Eating Disorders Action Group -- decided to sponsor and host Body Image Week 2009. It was a series of screenings, discussions, workshops, bake sales and information sessions which ran from Feb. 2-5.

"It's not just about how thin you are or what your body looks like," says Chabassol. She felt that it would be good to host a variety of events that could go beyond specific eating disorders and look at some of the other societal factors that shape how we feel about our bodies.

One example is tattoo art.

"At the women's centre, we really believe that everything is so interconnected and intertwined. And so, I don't think you can talk about eating disorders without talking about how people perceive tattooing and piercing and all of that, and how different cultures perceive body image."

They invited Halifax-based tattoo artist Amber Thorpe to come and speak about her experiences. Thorpe says she feels tattoos can enhance a person's self-image a lot.

"You can take away from certain things on your body that you don't like when you put a tattoo on it, because then you're seeing ink -- a pretty picture, rather than a nasty scar, so that can be a really positive aspect," says Thorpe.

She says she personally loves the art, and has so many of her own tattoos already she feels she's running out of space on her body.

"I think it's enhanced my body image."

Thorpe has tattooed over clients' stretch marks, surgery scars and body parts that they don't like, and has seen a noticeable change in how her clients feel about themselves.

'More than an affliction with food'

Chabassol hopes by talking about such a wide range of topics last week that they reached people on a broad level. She says many of the events led to great discussions with attendees after the sessions.

She feels anorexia is misunderstood and wants to raise awareness about it through whatever medium works.

"People have a really hard time understanding it and I think it's because we just don't talk about it."

Chabassol noticed when her sister got sick how loosely people use the term "anorexic." From hearing it in conversations about how thin a person is to the covers of magazines in grocery stores, Chabassol felt the word was everywhere.

"I don't think people realize often that this is a disease. This is not something where you wake up one day and say 'I'm going to become an anorexic' ... Eating disorders encompass more than an affliction with food."

Chabassol says there is a special psychological component to eating disorders that she feels is often ignored or misunderstood. The fourth-year biology student hopes to learn more about these issues next year, as she is applying to medical school.

Changing attitudes

She explains that Body Image Week was not just for helping to foster positive attitudes about bodies, but also to encourage critical thinking "about all the messages we receive through the media, and the expectations and the norms that have been created by society."

Chabassol hopes with education, we can challenge and defy these norms, "and say 'I don't want to be a part of this.'"

She wants to help others work towards being able "to accept and celebrate the natural diversity associated with our bodies."

"Everyone is made differently, and that is life. You're given one body, and it's your vehicle to get though life, and it's just so important to respect it and cherish it and think of how wonderful it is," says Chabassol.

Road to recovery

She's inspired by seeing her sister go through something so difficult, and then come out on the other side, and wants to show others that it is possible to get better.

"She went from being in a hospital bed to doing yoga, walking her dog, and going to cooking classes. Things are really turning around ... now she's regaining her life back, and you can do it."

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