By Colt Dodd
In the spirit of promoting body positivity, eight resident advisors (RA) are collaborating to host the first annual New Style New College: Body Positive Fashion Show. Participants are invited to strut their stuff in the Black Box Theater on Saturday, Dec. 6 beginning at 7 p.m. to flaunt their style on the runway and learn to love themselves.
“It’s a fashion show, you can wear whatever the hell you want,” third-year and Z Dorm RA Madeleine Yount said. “There’s four different categories that you can sign up to be in and you can do a performance while you walk on the runway. You can fill out a form online that’s on the Forum and you can sign up for whatever you want to do. Afterwards there’s going to be a dance party and cake… with permission we’re going to post pictures online.”
The inspiration for the event came from a conversation that second-year and second court RA Cristina Harty had with her friend.
“The idea dawned on me when talking to one of my friends,” Harty said. “She said she would like to have a fashion show, and I like, ‘What about a body positive fashion show? We also wanted to have a dance party.”
There are four categories that participants can sign up for.
“There’s the True Colors category where you can wear your favorite color,” Yount explained. “Then it’s Do You, which is what best fits your personality. Then there’s New College Core which is wearing whatever you fits New College, and then DIY, make something yourself.”
Second-year and first court RA Marianny DeLeon explained that the event hopes to destroy what society projects as body positivity and be a direct response to cultural body shaming.
“Society at large designates good bodies and bad bodies,” DeLeon explained. “We should celebrate all bodies by allowing people to do what makes them feel comfortable instead of assigning them to a specific category.”
“We want people to support their peers on their way to self-acceptance,” third-year and first court RA Taylor Toro said. “Please come.”