Boulder Valley Youth Body Alliance

[Editor's Note: The Boulder Youth Body Alliance page is no longer in service, but the founder of the group Carmen Cool has a website that talks more about body image.] Did you know that 40% of 9 and 10 year old girls have tried a diet to lose weight? And that by age 13, more than half of girls are unhappy with their appearance? Isn't that terrible? Well, the Boulder Youth Body Alliance wants to change that.

Imagine a world where every body counts...where each person is valued and respected, no matter what their size or shape.  Boulder Youth Body Alliance (BYBA) believes in such a world. More importantly, they partner with youth to create it. Through a variety of programs, projects, and activities, youth take action, reclaim their voices, and make a positive difference in their communities. They aim to foster confidence and help dismantle the limiting messages about body image that permeate our culture.  Rather than trying to change their bodies, they work to change the world instead. BYBA started with a simple idea: teens talking to other teens about how they felt about weight, body image, and the messages they receive about how they’re ‘supposed’ to look.

Way to go, kids! Maybe the whole body issue is a reason we like Glee so much. You know? There's all kinds of bodies represented among the Gleek crew. The show certainly looks different that your standard issue teen drama episode (yawn), and we LOVE that. So here's our soapboxy message of the day: Love the skin you're in! Cuz unlike Lindsay Wagner, we only get one bod in this life; we owe it to ourselves to take care of it and LOVE it!