Art program teaches body diversity, acceptance

Teens and adolescents suffering from body image issues are facing more challenges and triggers amid COVID-19. Additional time spent on social media can be a big contributor to this.

With this in mind, Eating Recovery Center, the largest eating disorder treatment center in the U.S., has created the art-based program, “Love Your Tree,” as a way for young people to celebrate body diversity and body acceptance.

The program is designed to encourage kids and adults to think outside the narrow definition of beauty and celebrate the natural diversity of bodies in the world.

The “Love Your Tree” program asserts that there are as many body types as there are trees in the forest, and all are equally valuable. The initiative encourages people of all backgrounds to develop positive body image, improve self-esteem and improve media-literacy skills, all of which can serve as protective factors against the development of eating disorders and mental health disorders.

As part of the program, participants can draw a tree using the prompt, “Like a tree, my body is…” to express their message.

For more information, as well as some of the youth participants’ art work, visit eatingrecoverycenter.com/love-your-tree.