Professor Sharlene Hesse-Biber of Boston College is combating the “cult of thinness” she said is forced upon women by the advertisement industry and the media.

She will present a lecture on body image in hopes of dispelling the messages of popular cultural media at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Wirtz Hall Auditorium.

The lecture is being sponsored by the FCNS Graduate Colloquium Committee and co-sponsored by Student Housing and Dining, Allied Health, the Communicative Disorders Program, the Nursing Program and the Women’s Studies Program. Jennifer Lawson, a registered dietician (R.D.) and graduate student in nutrition, is helping to plan the lecture.

Hesse-Biber has written and conducted extensive research on women’s issues and is the co-founder of the Women’s Studies Program at Boston College.

Her lecture, accompanied by a slide presentation, will be based on her book called “Am I Thin Enough Yet? The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity.”

“I compare women’s obsession with thinness to a ‘cult’ in order to underline the reality that women approach being thin with the same religious fervor as those who are members of religious cults,” Hesse-Biber said.

She also said that the advertisement industry and the media show women that “thin is sacred. Thin is beautiful and healthy. Thin will make you happy. Fat is profane. Achieving the proper weight is not just a personal responsibility; it is a moral obligation.”

To counteract these messages, Hesse-Biber said she plans to highlight the working forces that assault women’s self-confidence. She also will provide real-life stories of women suffering in the “cult of thinness,” and attempt to show women how to regain their self-esteem.

Ellen Parham, an R.D. and an FCNS professor, a coordinator of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Administration and a licensed professional counselor, said many women dislike their bodies.

“A year ago, data was collected from female NIU students. Less than one-third of them were overweight, but almost everybody, two-thirds, was trying to lose weight. So at least one-third were trying to change and didn’t need to,” she said.

Parham thinks Hesse-Biber’s lecture will be beneficial to students who attend.

“The lecture might open their eyes to the difference between truth and what people want them to think is true. Maybe the lecture will get students to think, ‘I’m OK the way I am,'” she said.

Lawson said attending the lecture is free, and everyone is welcome to come.

For information, call FCNS at 753-1543.