Dont fight your genes, just change your jeansis the message behind next weeks Great Jeans Giveaway organized by West Virginia Universitys Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services.

Beginning Monday (Feb. 26), WVU students are encouraged to drop off old, tight-fitting jeans from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Mountainlair lobby.

Come hang up your jeans and send the message that being comfortable and confident is about changing the size of your jeans to fit your genes,Director Cathy Yura said.

Too often people struggle against their natural size and shape just to fit into a pair ofskinny jeansin the back of their closets, event organizers say, and this can lead to unhealthy dieting practices, poor body image and sometimes eating disorders.

The Carruth Center hopes to persuade the public to think twice about trying to change our bodies to fit fashion and the pressures of our cultures unattainable standards of beauty,Yura said.

The Great Jeans Giveaway is part of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Feb. 25-March 3) intended to educate the public on eating disorders and size acceptance issues.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, and millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder.

WVU s giveaway event continues through Friday (March 2). Jeans will be donated to local charities.

The Carruth Center will also sponsor a booth with information on eating disorders, health and wellness from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday at theLair.

Other activities and lectures include:

• Body for Break (began Jan. 21)This free program for WVU students and Rec Center members helps participants develop healthier lifestyles over an eight-week period. It includes a fitness contest, wellness talks, exercise tips and more. Body for Break continues through March 18 at the Rec Center. For more information, go tohttp://studentreccenter.wvu.edu/and click onBody for Break.

• Looking Through Broken Mirrors: Understanding Eating Disorders and Body Image Comedian Stacey Prussman will share her personal battle with bulimia and identify tools to help audience members find a healthy body image. She will speak at 7 p.m. Monday (Feb. 26) in theLair ballrooms. Admission is free.

Movie The movieThinwill be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 27) in theLair Gluck Theatre. An HBO original documentary, the film takes people inside the walls of Renfrew Center, a residential facility for the treatment of women with eating disorders, closely following four young women (ages 15-30) who have spent much of their lives starving themselves. Admission is free, and counselors will be available to speak with students after the film.

• Eating on the Runsession Netty Freshour, WVU nutritionist, will provide tips on healthy food choices when students dont feel like they havetime to eat. Her talk begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 28) in Room 245 of the WVU Coliseum.

• Health eating and exercising tips Students can obtain information about nutrition and fitness Thursday (March 1) at the Rec Center.

• Carruth Center information table Carruth Center staff will be on hand from 6-8 p.m Thursday (March 1) at the Rec Center to provide information and answer questions about health and dietary issues.

• Great Jeans Giveaway count Jeans that have been collected during the week will be counted, and results of a sorority contest will be tabulated at 2 p.m. Friday (March 2) in theLair.

To learn more about National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, call 206-382-3587 or visitwww.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

For more information about local events or Carruth Center services, call 304-293-4431 or log ontohttp://www.wvu.edu/~cocenter/.

WVU s eating disorder awareness activities are part of WVU s Wellness and Nutrition Initiative, established by WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr., to get students, faculty, staff and the community more aware of campus wellness options.