The Fashion Rocks and So Does My Body show on Feb. 23 nearly filled the Ferguson Theater to capacity and would have been the perfect opportunity to raise social awareness about the media’s poor and inaccurate portrayal of body image.

Unfortunately, the organizers of the event failed to capitalize.

The subtitle of the fashion show was “to celebrate women and men of all shapes and sizes.” I guess they meant well, but they simply didn’t follow through. There were no male models, only three women of color and not a single woman who didn’t fit inside society’s view of the ideal woman.

They all looked like the models you see on television, online and in magazines. The media may want us to believe that our bodies need to fit into a size two, or that beauty only comes in small, white packages, but as a proud member of an institution of higher learning, I expect better.

I don’t blame the models who walked at the fashion show, I blame the UA health and wellness department for not having the foresight (or desire) to seek out and encourage men and women of all shapes and sizes, as advertised, to participate.

The University had a fashion show for “models” just a few weeks ago, Rock the Runway. Did we really need another one? Don’t promise us social awareness and diversity only to turn around and rehash what we see in the media every day. It’s insulting to us and embarrassing for the University.

Shame is an oft-used adjective when describing negative body image, and I can only hope that the members responsible for organizing the event are feeling extremely shameful for perpetuating the media’s narrow view of acceptable body image at an event that was supposed to do exactly the opposite.

Daniel Hollander is a senior in New College.