Are You Aware of the Quebec Charter for Healthy & Diverse Body Images?

Body images presented in the public sphere and the media influence self-image, self-esteem, and, indirectly, population health. We recognize that beauty ideals based on extreme thinness can harm self-esteem, particularly in girls and women. We believe that eating and weight-control behaviors are influenced by biology, psychology, family, society, and culture. We encourage partners from all fields—government, community organizations, and corporations—to work together to help diminish adverse social pressures so as to foster a healthy and egalitarian society.

We believe that with their vitality and creativity, the fashion, advertising, and media sectors can provide leadership and exert a positive influence upon the population. We want to follow an international current in the fashion industry towards awareness campaigns on problems related to excessive preoccupation with weight, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. We are determined, at the instigation of the Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, to collectively contribute to drafting this charter and launching a common call to action to promote a healthy diversity of body images. We, the undersigned, therefore pledge our support for a vision of a society in which body diversity is valued and, in consequence, undertake, as part of our respective missions, to:

1. Promote a diversity of body images, including different heights, proportions, and ages
2. Encourage healthy eating and weight control habits
3. Discourage excessive weight-control practices or appearance modification.
4. Refuse to subscribe to esthetic ideals based on extreme thinness
5. Remain vigilant and diligent so as to minimize the risks of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and unhealthy preoccupations with weight
6. Act as agents of change so as to promote healthy eating and weight-control practices and realistic body images
7. Promote the Québec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image among our partners, clients and colleagues, while actively respecting and adhering to its principles

Learn more about this exciting Charter at: http://www.ijoinonline.com/en/

Learn more about body image at: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/recovery-tools-body-image.html