Student plans empowering event

Sydney Upah

One ISU student is looking to address the objectification of women and inspire students to think more positively about themselves.

Kenzie Hosch, senior in graphic design, organized the event entitled More Than Parts, in order to create awareness on the power of words and how they relate to self-worth and objectivity.

More Than Parts will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday on the Sloss House lawn, weather permitting.

“The idea is just to be a celebration of who we are and to fight back with our words of empowerment rather than protests,” Hosch said. “At the most basic level what I would hope to accomplish is people walking away feeling good about who they are.”

At the event, students can make a button on-site, participate in an installation, have their photo taken, eat a cookie, learn about how they can make a difference, talk to other students and take some cards to encourage others.

The event is Hosch’s capstone project for the graphic design program. The idea for the event was inspired from Hosch’s trip to New York City, she said, where she learned about the culture of objectification that leads to a lot of people being exploited.

“I’ve always been interested in social justice issueshuman trafficking, abuse and that kind of thingso I was trying to do something a little more broad that would encapsulate those issues without doing the same thing over and over again,” Hosch said. “I’m learning a lot about how these issues are right under our noses and we don’t realize it a lot of times.”

Hosch’s “pop-up inspiration booth” will be on the Sloss House lawn Thursday along with booths from the Sloss House, To Write Love On Her Arms, the Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness club, and the Network Against Human Trafficking club.

“It’s so engrained in our culture to call people certain things and I don’t think that’s okay. You are more than your body; you’re smart; you’re intelligent; you’re worth pursuing as a person,” Hosch said.