We spoke to Tamina from Durham Body Positivity Society about celebrating our bodies and how you can get involved.
Who are you and what’s your role within the student group?
My name is Tamina Summersgill, I’m a second-year English student at Van Mildert, and I’m secretary for Durham’s Body Positivity Society. In theory, I take care of admin – but in practice, I’m involved with the others in the exec in running the society, whether that’s coming up with ideas about things we can do, or thinking practically about how we can achieve our aims.
Describe the society in three words
Caring, fun, empowering.
Why (in your opinion) is your student group the best in Durham?
Our society aims to be a supportive, loving, and thoughtful community, boosting students who are struggling with low self-confidence and self-esteem as a result of negative body image. We’re trying to open up the conversation about the pressures surrounding appearance that we face at university and how we can deal with them in a healthy way. What could be better than a society which tries to make you feel at peace with and embrace how you are?
What sort of things does your student group get up to?
We plan to create a safe space through socials, discussions, artsy activities, and all sorts of projects, for Durham students to celebrate and reclaim their bodies, feel more in control of their body image, and to share thoughts and ideas with others going on similar journeys.
Which celebrity would you most like to have as a member of your student group?
Serena Williams! She has been on a rollercoaster of a journey with her body. She is the most successful female tennis player ever, and is famously incredibly strong (her fastest serve was recorded at 207 km/h). She has risen above remarks that her body isn’t “feminine” enough and reclaimed her athletic physique: “strong is sexy”. There were also extreme health complications after she gave birth to her daughter: life-threatening blood clots in her lungs and abdomen, meaning she was bed-bound for six weeks. Still, ten months later, she was competing in the Wimbledon final. Now that’s empowering.
Want to get to know more student groups? Give It a Go Week runs from the 8 - 14 October with a series of free taster sessions from a variety of student groups (including Body Positivity). Find out what you can try here.
Got a group you want students to get to know? Contact Ellie at eleanor.m.scorah@durham.ac.uk to organise a Q+A.