Factoid:Body image screenings will be held in the Student Recreation Center, across from the equipment desk, from 4 to 7 p.m.

If a Barbie doll came to life, her waist would be too thin to support the top half of her disproportionate 7-foot, 3-inch body.

In reality, the average woman measures 5 feet 4 inches and weighs 164.3 pounds, while the “life-size” Barbie would weigh less than 115 pounds.

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The model physique, much like Barbie’s, is one of the unrealistic body images Erin Castro said is seen by women on a daily basis. Castro, a graduate assistant working at the Recreation Center, said the results of these images are negative to those who try to achieve the near-impossible, “perfect” body.

The Recreation Center, in conjunction with the Wellness Center, is sponsoring “Love Your Body Day.” The day is set aside for people to take time to realize that being healthy and fit comes from a well-balanced diet and moderate exercise, contrary to the popular belief that only a diet will suffice, Castro said.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Castro said. “People just have these unrealistic expectations.”

For “Love Your Body Day,” the Recreation Center will have a table in the main lobby, across from the equipment desk, with a small screening for students to analyze their body image and pick up information about fitness and nutrition resources on campus.

Body image is not a physical quality, said Lynn Gill, a registered dietician at the Wellness Center, but rather a perception of how one views and accepts his or her body. A positive body image starts on the inside, Gill said.

“It’s more important to focus on what’s right with the body, rather than what’s wrong,” Gill said. “A lot of students are oftentimes focused on a number on the scale.”

Eating and body image disorders do not just affect women, Gill said. Many men suffer from a distorted body image, often wanting to improve muscle mass and lose weight, she said.

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“As many as 50 percent of college-aged men are dissatisfied with their appearance,” Gill said. “There are men who look in the mirror, and they’re never buff enough.”

Many of these unrealistic expectations come from magazines, which Gill said capitalize on a reader’s insecurity by promoting unrealistic diets and exercises as a way to improve temporary results. Instead of looking to magazines for help, Gill said students should look to the Wellness Center to receive an eating assessment and information on how to succeed in weight loss without dieting.

“Changing the body doesn’t necessarily make the world around you a better place,” Gill said. “Oftentimes, it leads to disillusionment.

“Body image is a perception of how one views the body. People need to realize that improving body image has more to do with the perception of the body.”

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at [email protected]