William Peace University Hosts Fashion Show For National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced that the university hosted a fashion show titled "EveryBODY" in conjunction with and support of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which ran from Feb. 24 through March 2 and is an extension of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). The university's fashion show featured students and staff as models, each representing various body shapes, sizes, colors, nationalities and genders.

Participants came together to promote the importance of a positive body image and encourage the appreciation of natural beauty. In addition to the fashion show, representatives with Veritas Collaborative, a center for excellence in the treatment of eating disorders, were on-site to provide education and medical insight into body imaging to attendees, as well as Sherrill's University of Barbering and Cosmetology, whose students provided free hair and make-up services for participating models.

Cofre Consignment Store of Raleigh also participated through the donation of clothing for models. Performance choreography was led by Melissa Daniels, a former model who struggled with eating disorders and has created Bitter Rebellion, a website developed for helping raise awareness of individuals facing similar challenges in their lives.

The NEDA is committed to ultimately preventing eating disorders and overall body image issues, while reducing the stigma associated with eating disorders and improving access to medical treatment and support. According to the NEDA, 20 million women and nearly 10 million men across the United States will suffer from an eating disorder sometime in their lifetime, a number that has continued to increase since the 1950s. For more information on NEDA, visit http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.

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