Kendreka Pipes upcoming “Don’t Waist Your Worth” program will focus on body image
Alcorn State University alumna and Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, Kendreka Pipes, plans to help young ladies realize that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
Pipes’ upcoming “Don’t Waist Your Worth” summer program will start Monday, June 6 and will continue until Friday, June 17 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center, located on 1 Honeysuckle Drive in Charleston, Mississippi. The program is designed to emphasize to young ladies that their worth is not determined by their waist size, hence the word play in the program’s name. The program is for girls ages 13-17. A $30 registration fee is required for all participants.
When it comes to issues with body image, social media plays a huge role in presenting unrealistic depictions of what women are “supposed” to look like. With her program, Pipes hopes to combat those images by building the girls’ self-esteem and advocating for good health.
“A lot of these issues are the results of social media and cultural pressures,” said Pipes, who is the program director at the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center. “We will promote creating a healthy body image by teaching the girls to avoid unbalanced and disordered eating. We will also focus on maintaining a balanced diet while staying fit and strong at all body sizes. At times, we can be our worst critic and hold ourselves responsible to achieve an unrealistic body. In an attempt to achieve these standards, we end up damaging ourselves mentally and physically. So we want to address these issues by assuring them that beauty comes in different forms.”
The idea for Pipes’ program came as a result of her own struggles with defining beauty during her transition from childhood to adulthood.
“I always try to involve myself in projects that speak directly to me, so I came up with the idea to design this program for young girls. My self worth is something that I always struggled to define. It’s not that I was never told I was beautiful, but I never knew how to define what beauty was on my own. This program was inspired by my own struggles while growing into the woman that I am today. I believe that having these conversations early in our youths’ lives will equip them to live healthier lifestyles in the future.”
Pipes explained the importance of girls valuing themselves.
“It is important for young ladies to know their worth because if they go through life not knowing what their worth is, they’ll regret it. I cannot begin to count the number of times when knowing my worth would have made life easier for me. From friendships, relationships and even personal goals; had I known my worth, I would have been kinder to myself, lived life to its full potential and taken better care of my body. When we know our worth, we achieve more, love ourselves unconditionally and take care of ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally.”
For more information on the “Don’t Waist Your Worth” summer program, contact Pipes at (662) 625-7214.
