Abiel Semillano, a graduating 4th-year Communication student at the University of St. La Salle Bacolod, is spearheading Youth Actualizing a Brave-Body Image (YABI).
YABI aims to unlock a body-positive mindset and create a transformative shift in societal attitudes toward body image among the youth at its core.
The project is in collaboration with Hearticulate Psychological Center’s CEO-President and Psychologist Donalyn Guerrero-Lastima.
This Advocacy emphasizes the critical need to recognize how seemingly harmless jokes or comments about body weight can deeply impact the well-being of young people, offhand remarks, might not seem significant at the moment, but they can significantly influence how individuals perceive their bodies for years to come, often leading to unhealthy levels of self-consciousness.
Unfortunately, an increasing number of teenagers are resorting to extreme diets and excessive exercise in pursuit of an unrealistic body This advocacy seeks to shed light on this often-overlooked issue and promote a healthy body image perception for the younger generation, Semillano said.
She highlighted that Y.A.B.I. isn't about promoting unhealthy lifestyles or dismissing the importance of physical health.
Rather, it's about shifting the focus from appearance to overall well-being and instilling the values of courage and empowerment required to confront entrenched societal ideals and celebrate individual appearances with bravery and resilient confidence among the youth.
Hearticulate Psychological Center’s CEO-President and Psychologist Donalyn Guerrero-Lastima said that YABI's mission is to instill the values of courage and empowerment required to confront entrenched societal ideals and to celebrate individual appearances with bravery and resilient confidence among young people.
She added that adolescence is a stage of stress and storms, and that it is a critical time of life. Teenagers should consider that adolescence is one of the developmental stages in life, and life does not end there.
Teenagers should focus on what is desirable, beautiful, and meaningful in their lives, instead of negatively labeling themselves.
The project focuses on gathering the personal narratives of selected teenage participants to create a children's storybook.
This book, tailored for younger generations, will draw inspiration from the participants' experiences and perspectives on body image.
By reflecting on these stories, the aim is to instill messages of self-acceptance, diversity, and resilience, empowering young readers to embrace their uniqueness and value their own stories.
The campaign will start in April and end in May, and updates can be seen on YABI’s Facebook page. (PR)