February 2020 marks the 3rd Annual Body Positivity Art Gallery at the CC Nolan Lounge. Held in homage to the incredible diversity and story that each body gathered here at Smith retains, the walkthrough gallery is something for the entire community.
The art exhibit responds broadly to the question, “What is the story of your body?” Members of Smith were encouraged to submit reflections to this prompt, along with photographs (full body, face, one body part, etc.) that reflected some aspect of themselves. While walking through the gallery, one can read these reflections at their own pace, the stories etched on paper beneath a large banner, reading “What is the story of your body?” The black and white photographs line the walls, printed and framed, and sprinkled with captions.
The perspective the Wellness Center takes on body positivity this year via the gallery is a unique one. The culture behind body positivity is nuanced, and the line often falls between an overly optimistic, glamorous look and a deep, institutionalized negativity. At a historically women’s college such as Smith, the conversation surrounding this topic is even more tricky. The gallery is not an overly tacky “Love Yourself” campaign shoved down your throat, nor is it asking that one should change themselves in order to obtain that love. The atmosphere is relatively neutral and the decorations, with vines, sprigs and petals, reference the theme of the event: the dialogue between nature and our bodies as sites of power, possibilities and resistance.
We all have our bad days, and some of us can even lay claim to good days. There is no quick solution to learning to love our bodies amongst the storm of social media, mainstream expectations and heteronormativity. The bodies around us have experienced stories that some will never know, nor understand. Gallery representation however is limited to the stories that were submitted. Marketing was conducted far and wide through a variety of social media platforms and through a diverse list of departments for submissions.
The gallery brings something new to the conversation revolving around our bodies, something the Twitter hashtags seem to miss out on. We do not need to love every aspect of our body, every single day. To ask to do sounds ridiculously artificial, and to retain that standard nears impossible.
There is no right response to this exhibition. Just as there is no right response to the story of the sexual assault of a minor, of a life-wrecking eating disorder, or the narration of a history of self-harm, sometimes it is not about giving answer A, B or C. Sometimes it is more about being able to put oneself out there, anonymously or not, in acceptance and or resonance of the story that has been experienced. It is letting one know that they are not alone in their struggle with the flesh and blood entity that holds them.
The submissions are not asking for anything in return. Gallery-goers are invited to write their own submissions and leave them with the gallery. Most of the photographs are anonymous and leave any easily identifiable marks out of frame. According to Wellness Services, the goal of the project is to highlight and expand on the submitted stories that reflect diverse and intersecting experiences with body image and identity. The gallery is a reflection of their mission to make space for voices and representation of all identities and especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds in the wellness industry.
