By Brittney Bruner

In a society that exaggerates the negative aspects of the human body, the University of Louisville is taking active measures to remind its students of the positive.

“Everybody with a body will benefit from U of L’s first-ever BABA week,” said Karen Newton, director of health promotion and education at U of L.

BABA refers to Body Awareness Body Appreciation week, which is being celebrated February 24-29 at U of L.

The goal of BABA week is “to effect positive change on U of L’s campus culture and societal attitudes towards both women’s and men’s bodies,” said Newton.

According to Newton, the “BABA week event roster goes beyond the traditional eating disorders week to invite people to apply critical thinking and thoughtful conversations to a broad range of topics related to how we think about our bodies and how we care for them.”

Although the week does feature information, screening and assistance for those who are impacted by eating disorders, there will be a strong array of events taking place on campus that are focused on other aspects of body appreciation. These include a health fair, movies about LGBT body issues including the film “Do I Look Fat?” Fearless Friday Freedom from Diet Day, and free yoga lessons and massages as well as healthy snacks to be provided.

Most of the events during BABA week will be held on the first floor of the Belknap Research Building in the conference room and atrium, unless specified otherwise.

However, possibly the most intriguing and significant event going on during BABA week features The Century Project, which includes the exhibit, the panel discussion and workshop programs.

More than a hundred girls and women of many ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds bare all in The Century Project.

The Century Project is a combination of unconventionally nude portraits of females that span the ages of a century of every conceivable size, race and background; each contains a highly personal written statement describing “instances of rape, debilitating illness, disfiguring surgeries, distorted social expectations, as well as reflections of humor and joy.”

Frank Cordelle, the artist, photographer, and architect of “The Century Project” exhibit as well as of the book “Bodies and Souls: The Century Project” began working on this stunning depiction of the female body in the early 1980’s.

In reference to how he came to begin this project, Cordelle said, “It was more of an intersection between two or three different pathways in my life.” These pathways include a genuine interest in photography, a backpacking trip across Europe after college, and a PhD in biochemistry from Brandeis University.

Cordelle said that after seeing pictures from the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement eras, he found that photography was not only a hobby but “a tool for powerful change.” And based on its national acclaim from sources such as Time Magazine, Life, and Oprah, The Century Project is a reflection of just how powerful that tool can be.

Some anonymous reactions from students and faculty from other universities across the country include:

“Something not many college kids are exposed to: nudity without sex. I hope it opens their eyes.”

“The only thing more surprising than the poignant tale told by these photos is that a man told it!”

However, despite the assumption that this exhibit is only for the eyes of women, Cordelle says that it is important that both women AND men see this. It is both “enabling and empowering for women” while helping to “educate men on pressures that affect women.”

One man that remains anonymous said, “Being a male, I was initially uncomfortable upon entering the Century Project. At first I felt queasy at many of the pictures. This sort of butterfly in my stomach was caused by the self-realization that my judgment of beauty, and the judgment of my gender thereof, is completely perverted. The beauty projected in society is shallow; a warped idea that the value of a human being, particularly women, is based upon unrealistic goals that we classify as the ‘norm.”

Ultimately, however, Newton and Cordelle hope that people walk away from BABA week and the Century Project alike with an ability to talk about issues that are too taboo in everyday society and an “increased respect for each person’s uniqueness, higher resistance to unhealthy media messages, and increased self-care.”