“I love my wrists.”

“I love my legs.”

“I love my hips.”

Yesterday in White Plaza, dozens showed how much they loved their bodies as part of Stanford’s third annual Love Your Body Day. Sponsored by 11 groups on campus, the event campaigned for the self-respect of college students.

“Let’s boycott mirrors for the next 24 hours,” Director of the Sexual Harassment Policy Office Laraine Zappert urged a crowd of more than 100 people, a few of whom wore shirts stating “I love my _____.”

“Loving our bodies is a lifelong process,” Zappert added.

Organizers encouraged both men and women to respect and value their physical appearances while they enjoyed music, dancing and other performances on display.

The Stanford Improvisors sang “I Love My Body Because It’s So Good To Me,” drawing laughter from the audience. Spoken Word member A-lan Holt ‘11 took a more serious approach, rejecting others’ images of beauty with her “Ode to My Curves.”

“I refuse to be fed lies and live a model size,” Holt sang to the White Plaza crowd. “I refuse to believe beauty is found only in single digits.”

According to Donnovan Yisrael, Health Empowerment Coordinator at Vaden Health Center, up to 70 percent of women feel guilty or depressed about their body within three minutes of reading a beauty magazine.

The media is not the only source of pressure, though. Yisrael also encouraged people to stop having “I’m so fat!” conversations, those “gossipy” talks where students lament about their figure.

“Would you talk to other people the way you talk to yourself?” he asked.

Although mostly women attended the event, coordinators also emphasized the role of men.

“Males have a deep, dark secret,” Yisrael said. “They are self-conscious about their bodies.”

“If you pick up a men’s magazine today, you should question any shame you feel about your sexuality or your body,” he added. “Beauty magazines just want to take your money. A true beauty magazine would be one that would say ‘You are fine just the way you are.’”

Femi Olutade ‘10 agreed.

“God made me beautiful,” he said.

Event speakers stressed the importance of a positive outlook like Olutade’s at all times.

Event co-sponsor Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), a group advocating prevention through early detection, held its “DialPink” initiative. Students were offered a pastry in exchange for a phone call to an aunt, mother, sister or friend encouraging them to get their annual breast exam. CAC co-President Michelle Golabek ‘08 emphasized the importance of women getting annual mammograms to detect breast cancer.

“Many students at Stanford — people our age — have had family members affected by cancer,” Golabek said. “We are there for the students and for each other.”

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. When discovered and treated in its earliest stages, the chance for successful treatment is greatest. By rewarding students for “DialingPink,” CAC hoped to increase the odds of survival for those affected.

Whether protecting or praising the body, Love Your Body Day organizers emphasized the need to appreciate and take care of oneself every day of the year.

“It is important to have an unconditional love [for your body],” Yisrael said, “love that is always there, even as you get older.”