Monica Lake | Lariat Photographer
Reporter
To kickoff its Solidarity Month, Sigma Iota Alpha along with Kappa Delta Chi and Gamma Alpha Omega held a forum in order to educate women on proper care for themselves.
The event was put on in conjunction with the department of multicultural affairs as a part of Women’s History Month, a month that is dedicated to highlighting the contributions women have made in society over the years.
The event, titled “Girl Talk,” focused on four main topics of discussion: sexually transmitted infections, fitness and wellness, proper skin care, and nutrition.
Various women from the community and Baylor were guest speakers.
Loeen Irons, a part-time lecturer of health and human performance in the education department, talked about STDs (sexually transmitted disease).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adolescents and young adults are more likely to contract a STD than an adult counterpart due to many factors such as lack of education or poor decision-making.
The majority of the girls at the event agreed that they got a lot of their information about sex from their peers or the media. Data from a National Survey of Family Growth conducted in 2010 showed that 96 percent of teenagers received a formal sex education about how to prevent STIs before they were 18 years old.
Irons, talked about the most common STDs, chlamydia and gonorrhea. She also talked about how women are more susceptible to getting STDs because they attach themselves to mucous membranes.
Women have more mucous membranes on their bodies than men.
Next, Kenda Herring, a weight training instructor talked about fitness and wellness. She debunked a few of the fears that women have about weight lifting such getting bulky or having muscle turn into fat once weight lifting is stopped.
She said women should only worry about what they are doing for their bodies and how that affects them.
“Do not compare yourself to the person next to you, and trust that what you are doing is good for you,” Herring said.
Erin Wheeler, a former Baylor student and current consultant for Mary Kay, talked about proper skin care.
Her five steps to proper skin care were: protection, cleansing, toning, exfoliating and moisturizing.
Finally, Lori Genous, director of wellness at Baylor, talked about proper nutrition.
Reducing portion size, keeping track of what is being eaten and drinking lots of water were all suggestions she made for a healthier diet.
Austin senior Mayra Maldonado, a marketing major and also president of Sigma Iota Alpha, said that this event and many other events throughout the group’s solidarity month are about giving women a voice.
“We are coming together for a cause, and we are passionate about women’s empowerment,” she said.
The “Girl Talk” event was a part of Sigma Iota Alpha’s Solidarity Month, and they also have a few events, like this one that are also a part of the department of Mutlicultural Affairs’ Women’s History Month.
Today the organizations will be at Dr Pepper Hour to discuss notable women in women’s history with other students.
