Falk College and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) will host supermodel and body image advocate Emme ’85 for a series of campus events that are free and open to the public and that coincide with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week Feb. 26-March 4.
An alumna of VPA’s Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Emme is the iconic world’s first curvy supermodel. A TV personality, model, mom, author, brand spokesperson, creative director of her clothing lines, cancer survivor, lecturer and globally recognized women’s advocate for positive body image and self-esteem, she is the first model invited to speak before a Congressional subcommittee in Washington, D.C., with a mission to increase public awareness of eating and body image disorders.
A screening of the documentary “Straight/Curve: Redefining Body Image” with Emme will take place Tuesday, Feb. 27, in Grant Auditorium in the Falk Complex. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. “Straight/Curve,” which features Emme and other successful, diverse models, aims to create a healthier dialogue around body size and image and educate people on health and representation while capturing a visual slice of life of the fashion industry right now. The filmmakers interviewed students and faculty in VPA’s School of Design, which partnered with Emme to launch the Fashion Without Limits (FWL) initiative in 2014. FWL promotes the creation of size 12+ designs in the junior year; students use dress forms in size 16, 18 and 20 donated by Wolf Form Co. exclusively for Emme and FWL. Closed captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) will be provided at the film screening.
Falk College and its nutrition program will welcome Emme as the featured guest for the Third Annual Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 5:15 p.m. in Grant Auditorium. ASL interpretation and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be available for the lecture. Her presentation, titled “Facing our fears: Embracing the ones we’re with,” will be followed by a reception and book signing featuring her newest book. “Chicken Soup For The Soul, Curvy and Confident: 101 Stories of Loving Yourself and Your Body” encourages women to embrace their bodies once and for all and will be available for purchase that evening. A Fashion Without Limits Pop-Up Show will follow the lecture. The show will feature fashions created by VPA fashion design students as part of the FWL initiative.
Now in its third year, the Litt Distinguished Speaker Series is named after Falk College nutrition alumna Ann Selkowitz Litt ’75, a nationally known nutritionist who helped children and adolescents with eating disorders and assisted developing athletes in reaching their full potential. The nutrition consultant to CosmoGirl magazine, Litt was the author of “The College Students’ Guide to Eating Well on Campus,” “Fuel for Young Athletes” and the “ADA Guide to Private Practice.” She was the nutritionist for the NFL’s Washington Redskins and served as spokesperson for several media campaigns during her career, including the “Got Milk” campaign. After her death, the Ann. S. Litt Foundation, Inc., was created to support nutrition education.
For more information about the documentary screening and pop-up show, contact the College of Visual and Performing Arts at 315.443.8931 or . For information about the Ann Litt Lecture, contact Falk College Events at or 315.443.9816. For questions about accessibility or to request accommodations, contact the Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services (EOIRS) office at 315.443.4018.