Those beer commercials featuring thin, athletic women do more than just sell beer they also create a stereotype for some people in which thin is beautiful, a women’s group coordinator says.

The push for thinness in this country is tremendous, Deborah Letarte, outreach and group counseling coordinator for SIUC Women’s Services said. Advertisements and society have programmed people into believing that femininity is equal to thinness.

Letarte said she is organizing a women’s support group to help women accept who they are instead of trying to live up to the expectations created by society.

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There is a common belief that you are dirty or not healthy if you are overweight, and that is just not true, Letarte said. You can have a body, any size, and still be healthy, and we want to help women come to terms with that.

Letarte said a study conducted by the University of Arizona reported that 90 percent of white women polled said they felt they were overweight in some way. She also said Americans spend millions of dollars each year on dieting and changing their bodies to live up to a higher standard of living.

Extreme dieting can lead to many different diseases, like depression, anemia and ultimately, weight gain, she said. Dieting is fine, but we want to teach women how to accept themselves and be happy with who they are instead of trying to live up to an unrealistic expectation.

Letarte said the support group will begin with an identity model that teaches people to deal with who they are and still be happy, which she said is much like the process minorities go through when accepting themselves in a society that puts undue pressures on them.

Some of the main points she said she wants people to be aware of are that just because there are social pressures to be thin does not make it right and that there is nothing wrong with them as a people.

There are so many hidden pressures that many people don’t even realize it, she said. Sometimes sitting on a bus or going to the movies can be a problem for people, and there are times when people have to pretend not to hear the jokes about their size. That can really hurt someone’s self-confidence and cause them a lot of pain.

Letarte said there are magazines and agencies geared toward helping people deal with things such as travel plans, buying clothes and where to get a doctor that focuses on helping people get healthy and not just thin.

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The support group begins Feb. 20, but people need to call for an interview process before entering the group.

That first step is always the hardest, Letarte said. People may be frightened of calling, but it could help them so much. Women can learn so much from other women, and support from others is such a crucial step in acceptance of who you are. If women are willing to take another step, they will find that there are people out there who can really help them.

The support group is open to all staff, community members and students at no charge. Letarte said people should call now if they are interested in the group or if they just want more information. The number is 453-3655.