Benjamin Alum Hosts Parenting Workshop
The Benjamin School’s Student Services Department hosted a parenting workshop the night of April 9 led by Liz Motta ‘06, Program Coordinator for The Alliance For Eating Disorders Awareness.
Motta, an alumna of Benjamin, presented her lecture “Love The Skin You’re In” to a rapt audience of parents, grandparents and faculty members. The workshop, held in The Barker Performing Arts Center, discussed body image, self-esteem and the impact social media and print advertisements may have on both.
Motta and her co-lecturer Dr. Bhritanie Jardine, discussed how to recognize healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors and what to do if someone close to you may be struggling with an eating disorder.
Motta highlighted the fact that young girls and boys are flooded with media images that depict unrealistic body goals which can contribute to low self-esteem and the belief that they must change something about their bodies to fit in or be accepted.
“Can anyone tell me what this company sells,” Motta asked, as an advertisement featuring a shirtless man with a six-pack was displayed on screen.
“They sell clothes. Where are the clothes?” she questioned, as audience members let out a collective laugh.
Motta explained that companies targeting teens through advertisements are often selling a lifestyle and a belief that if someone buys their product they will get closer to acceptance and desirability. This engrained messaging, she said, has led to an uptick in negative body image and poor self-esteem among young adults. Fourty to 60 percent of girls age 6-12 are now worried about their weight or becoming too fat, Motta said.
She urged parents to be cognisant of the forms of media they consume in front of their children, whether it’s on TV or social media or in magazines.
“Children are like sponges. They’re watching,” she said.
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A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.