Jean Kilbourne, known internationally for her pioneering work to improve the image of women in media and advertising, will present a free public lecture March 12 as part of Body Acceptance Month at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ at Boulder.
"The Obsession with Thinness" will take place in room 235 of the University Memorial Center at 7:30 p.m.
CU-Boulder has double the national campus average rate of anorexia, according to university health officials.
"We are trying to reach out to students and give them the opportunity to think about the messages that say, 'In order to be happy, to be loved, to feel good about yourself, you have to look a certain way,' " said Robin Kolble, coordinator of the CU-Boulder Student Wellness Program.
Kilbourne's films, slide lectures and television appearances have been seen by millions of people around the world. She has appeared on "The Today Show," "20/20" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Award-winning films based on her lectures include "Killing Us Softly," "Pack of Lies" and "Slim Hopes."
Her recent book, "Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel," won the Distinguished Publication Award from the Association for Women in Psychology and was hailed as "a profound work that is required reading for informed consumers" by Publishers Weekly.
Kilbourne has served as an adviser to the U.S. Surgeon General and testified before Congress. She is currently a visiting scholar at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and holds a doctorate in education from Boston University.
The New York Times Magazine named Kilbourne one of the three most popular speakers on college campuses. She also has won the National Association for Campus Activities' Lecturer of the Year award.
Kilbourne's presentation is among many events taking place on campus in March in connection with CU-Boulder Body Acceptance Month and National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which was held Feb. 23-27.
Other upcoming events related to Body Acceptance Month include:
* March 8: cooking demonstration, Student Recreation Center, 5 p.m.
* March 9: Breakfast Day - free breakfast, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Norlin Quadrangle.
* March 10: "Bulky Boys!" with John Fox, Student Recreation Center, 5 p.m.
* March 15: Body Acceptance Month information table, UMC.
* March 17: nutrition presentation with Nanci Grayson, UMC 457 at noon.
The events are made possible by the CU-Boulder Student Wellness Program, the Community Health Education department of Wardenburg Health Center, CU-Boulder Department of Psychological Health and Psychiatry, CU-Boulder Women's Resource Center, CU-Boulder Department of Housing, the President's Fund for Diversity and the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.
For more information call the Student Wellness Program at (303) 492-2937.