Westridge School’s Peer to Peer Celebrate ‘Body Journeys’ During Love Your Body Week

This week, Westridge School students were encouraged to practice self-acceptance and positive body image as part of Love Your Body Week, hosted by the Upper School student support group Peer to Peer. The group hosted several lunch activities including asking students to write positive messages reflecting on what they are proud of about their bodies—the messages decorate the campus breezeway.

Although Love Your Body Week happens annually at Westridge, the title may not resonate with all as it doesn’t allow for the nuance associated with our individual journeys and histories, said Dean of Upper School Student Activities Brittany Coker. “We decided to come up with the theme of body journeys,” she explained. Instead of focusing on ‘love your body’ as a command, the students are encouraged to celebrate what their bodies do for them and see their relationship with their bodies as a lifelong process.

Seniors Emily C. and Tiffany C. helped plan the lunch activities. Tiffany said they planned activities to allow people to reflect on where they are in their body journey and how to understand both negative and positive emotions that comes with dealing with the body. She said they also wanted students to understand how one can be grateful to the body.

As Eloise A. ’22 put it: “We have chosen to focus on the journey with self-acceptance and positive body image as a way of acknowledging that accepting what we look like takes years and it’s not always a linear process.”

Westridge School, 324 Madeline Drive, Pasadena, (626) 799-1053 ext. 200 or visit www.westridge.org.