Fifty percent of adult women in this country are currently dieting and 75 percent of normal-weight women think they are fat, according to a pamphlet put out by the Body Image and Health Task Force at Ohio State.”I diet to feel good about myself but there seems to be a preestablished mold of success and ideals that you have to live up to to feel good about yourself, and being thin and looking good are just a couple of those,” said Abby Huggins, a first-year veterinary student.In an effort to help combat the negative self image that girls and women often have about themselves, the OSU Medical Center sponsored a “Body Talk” workshop on Saturday, and in the spirit of Mother’s Day, made the affair a mother-daughter clinic.”At this age, I think college-aged women are highly influenced by other women,” Huggins said. “In my own experience, I know most of my thoughts about my own body come from the latest body images of my friends. If my friends feel negative about their own bodies, I tend to become hypercritical of my own.”The workshop was designed to teach mothers and daughters how to handle the issue of body image and the factors that affect how girls and women view themselves in society.Huggins said she thought this workshop was a good idea because she thinks a healthy self image starts at home. “My college roommate’s mom forced my friend to start dieting at age seven,” she said. “Even today my friend battles with issues about her self image related to her weight.” It is helpful to talk about the issues in society that portray unrealistic ideals of what women’s bodies should look like, said Kellee Gauthier, spokeswoman for Women’s Health Services and National Center for Excellence in Women’s Health. “We want to give [girls and women] the tools they need to combat a negative self image,” Gauthier said.Huggins said once she got to college she felt that being thin somehow was equated with being successful or happy.According to the task force, body image is the way we perceive our physical selves. How we see ourselves is often based on images that are created and reinforced in our families, friendships, cultures, media, business and health professions. Women should have hobbies, interests and goals not related to physical appearance so that they can have alternative ways of measuring self image, said Lori Brown, behaviorist for the OSU Center for Wellness and Prevention. There are several places on campus, including Counseling and Consultation Services and the Student Wellness Center where women of all ages can seek help regarding these and similar issues.