On Tuesday evening, students gathered in the Undergrounds for “Positive Monologues,” an event promoting body positivity and self-love.
This was the fourth year that the event, hosted by Woman Empowered Support, Protect, Educate, Advocate and Know at Binghamton University (WE SPEAK BU) and the Slam Poetry Club, was held. According to Ariane Lucchini, the vice president of WE SPEAK BU and a junior majoring in psychology, this year’s performances had very personal takes on the general theme of body positivity.
“The main theme that we’d kind of like to bring home tonight is this idea of our bodies and how they’re so personal to us,” Lucchini said. “To each and every one of us, we have just different types of bodies and it’s hard sometimes to love that and really show and reflect that love to other people.”
The night featured seven student performances, varying between monologues written as prose and poetry, and a musical performance from the a cappella group Rhythm Method. Each monologue had its own story; topics included encounters with sex, staying positive in college, a tribute to National Diabetes Awareness Month or learning to love one’s body over time.
Most monologues described a journey that the speaker had taken to move past a certain issue. Some poems hinted at anorexia, while others described the struggle of not letting an illness define one’s sense of self. Nicole Chapko, an undeclared freshman, read her poem on accepting her body the way it was and learning to love it.
“Momma said there should be a lot of a good person,” Chapko said. “ We are eighteen / No longer hungry children with fingers pinching at our own sides / Momma, we are good people / We are learning to love our reflections with our hands by our sides.”
Amanda Melendez, a junior majoring in psychology and a member of the Slam Poetry Club, read a poem sharing a range of lessons she has learned since she was 19 years old.
“Let your body know you love it,” Melendez said. “Every curve, bump, freckle, birthmark, stretch mark and acne scar is beautiful / They are a part of you / They are a story map on your body that is ready to be explored like an overgrown forest / Nurture the forest.”
Lucchini said she thought it was a success as far as the number of attendees who came to the event, which was around 30.
“I definitely think it’s been a good turnout,” Lucchini said. “I was actually surprised to see a couple of people that weren’t associated in any way with either the performers or the club. They just kind of came, which is kind of the best you could hope for.”
Responses from the audience were also positive. Jessica Pino, a junior majoring in psychology, said that the event addressed usually cloaked issues.
“I liked how there were different topics covered and things that normally people don’t talk about and that they really should talk about just in everyday life and education,” Pino said. “We need to talk more about these issues.”
Sahar Akhlaq, an undeclared freshman, said that she appreciated the connections between the performers and their monologues.
“I liked it,” Aklaq said. “It’s like a lot of the pieces are very personal to a lot of the performers. And the fact that they were able to comfortably talk about it and everyone here has gone through a lot [of the issues relating to body positivity].”