Wingapo! (That's hello according to Pocahontas)

My name is Kelsey. I fancy myself Pocahontas sometimes though. My current motto in life is naturally inspired by her Disney movie in that I want to go wherever the wind takes me. A little about me: I am a senior this year (thank goodness). I am from Largo, fl. I am majoring in criminal justice… but it’s not really real. I’m double minoring in sociology and women’s studies and consider those my real majors. It might not seem to make sense but I understand it so don’t worry! I’m not sure what I will do after graduation. My real plan is just to follow my previously stated motto. Overall, I’m a happy person. I’m a jokester and try not to take myself too seriously...as you can probably tell.

I am interested in studying girls and body image because I know it is a very prevalent issue. I am aware of the harmful and damaging effects of poor body image among girls. It breaks my heart when I hear young girls saying they aren’t skinny enough or they need to go on a diet. My mother suffered from bulimia nervosa for 9 years before my brother and I were born. She now works as a psychotherapist for women and girls with eating disorders. So that is a topic that was frequently talked about in my household growing up. Because of my mother's struggles her goal in raising children was to instill a high self-esteem in us. Because of my mother I have been spared a lot of the insecurity issues typically faced in girlhood. That is why I am so hurt to see girls buying into the altered images the media show us. I think this is an incredibly important topic and that is why I have chosen this class.

In conclusion, I am very excited for this course. I hope to learn from all your experiences and unique perspectives on the topics. I look forward to getting to know you all as the semester goes on. Good luck to everyone!