- 303 Haggar College Center
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 284-4579 - Director of Media Relations
Gwen O'Brien
gobrien@saintmarys.edu
Press Release
Saint Mary’s Students to Show Their “Bold Beauty"
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579
April 8, 2009 (Notre Dame, Ind.)– If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then why do fashion model dolls, magazines, TV and movies offer the same cookie-cutter idea of what a beautiful woman looks like? That’s one of the topics that will be covered at the first annual beauty conference at Saint Mary's College on April 27. Students in communications studies professor Terri Russ’ Female Beauty class will host the conference, titled entitled “Bold Beauty.” The event will take place in the lower level of the Student Center from 4:00-8:00 p.m. and it is free and open to the public.
Russ is author of the recently published Bitchin’ Bodies , a book of recorded dialogue of young women talking about dissatisfaction with their bodies, no matter their size. “Women in college soon realize that no matter how much education they get, they are prized first for their body. They are forced to learn how to manage this pressure in addition to all the other pressures of life,” Russ said.
Female Beauty course students will present projects at the conference on topics that include childhood beauty pageants, ethnic beauty and feminist art; alumnae of the Female Beauty class will present projects related to beauty and body dissatisfaction; and Russ will make a presentation. There will also be a display of children’s fashion model dolls that students have modified to more accurately portray women’s curves.
Emma Farrell ’09, co-chair of this year’s conference, believes it’s important to talk about body image at an all-women’s college because “we face the issues of body dissatisfaction and conforming to a certain standard of beauty on a daily basis.” Farrell, who named the conference, used the word “bold” because she believes it captures the purpose of the event. “I think that for a women to love herself in every way is bold, and I wish everyone could be that bold.”
One goal for the beauty conference is for it to grow in notoriety so that scholars and students from other colleges and universities will attend and make presentations. To bolster interest in this year’s conference, student planners have set up a group on Facebook where people can receive more information. Search “SMC Bold Beauty Conference” on Facebook to find the group.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
