At the Motley Coffeehouse last Friday afternoon, Scripps students could be seen holding decorated papier-mâché casts of their chests. The casts were made as part of the second annual Chest Casting, an event organized by Scripps’ Peer Health Educators to promote body positivity on campus.
Representing the Sallie Tiernan Field House’s Health and Wellness programs, Peer Health Educators promote student welfare by serving as resources for information and advice about healthy eating, regular exercise, stress relief, and sexual and mental health. They work with individuals and groups and organize campus programs to bring awareness to important health issues affecting Scripps students.
Though Chest Casting coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness month, the event emphasizes body positivity as much as physical health.
“We created a private space in the Motley and put body-positive quotes in the space. The idea is that we want to remind people not to use body-shaming language and to stay positive throughout the experience,” explains Helen Thomason ’18, a Peer Health Educator who provides counsel to students grappling with body positivity and alcohol, tobacco, and drug issues.
So how do students create their chest casts? Gathering in the study space at the Motley, participants are free to remove shirts and bras. They then apply Vaseline to their chests in order to prevent the papier-mâché from sticking to the skin. Strips of paper are dipped into in a mixture of flour and water and layered onto the body in order to build up the cast. After they have dried, the casts are removed and then painted and decorated at tables set up in Seal Court.
“It’s really just a fun and relaxed environment inside. Everyone’s half naked in the Motley, which isn’t a space where you can generally do that,” says Thomason.
About 200 students signed up for Chest Casting, but only 75 spaces were available this year. Those who were able to participate spoke about the impact of the experience on their perceptions of their bodies.
“I think it encourages people to be more confident because you walk in and everyone’s just wearing less clothing and you feel more comfortable because there’s no judgment,” says Sofia Padilla ’19. “I came on a whim, and I’m very glad I did because it really just celebrates being a woman.”
“This was my first time participating in the chest casting, and I love this event because you’re in a space with all these other girls who also have their shirts off, and no one is judging you. I felt like it really embodied what we stand for at Scripps in terms of being body positive and aware of others around us,” says Liza Ach ’16, as she stands with her friends at a decorating table.
This year, the Peer Health Educators are hoping to organize additional events that will help create a more conscious environment in terms of health and wellness at Scripps. For more information about body positive programs and initiatives, contact the Sallie Tiernan Field House.