This coming April, the Binghamton University chapter of Pretty Girls Sweat (PGS) will be hosting their very own Pink Brunch. The event will be located in the Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center’s Multipurpose room on April 6 and will feature activities that involve personal development and networking opportunities.
Nashara Murrow, vice president of PGS and a senior majoring in human development, discussed Pretty Girls Sweat’s goals for the event.
“Pink Brunch advocates to empower the women on campus through physical fitness,” Murrow wrote in an email. “We want to do this by holding space for women to feel comfortable speaking about fitness, uplifting women of all shapes, sizes and colors, and encouraging them to celebrate themselves and their bodies no matter where they are in their fitness journey.”
Paris Defreitas, public relations coordinator for PGS and a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, elaborated on the traditional format for Pink Brunch.
“Pink Brunch is an event to bring together the campus’ vibrant multicultural community to appreciate women at Binghamton making strides to empower women in all ways, whether that be through fitness, health or community service,” Defreitas wrote in an email. “There will be food, music, games and more for all of our guests to enjoy.”
Not only does PGS aim to empower women at BU through fitness and health, but they also hope to cultivate a supportive community that encourages discussions focused on mental health. Murrow also discussed the impact of women comparing their bodies and fitness progression to other women on social media. Part of the organization’s goals is to emphasize the importance of being able to set what one sees online aside.
Gianna Peña, the organization’s workout coordinator and a junior majoring in psychology, discussed how PGS has impacted her lifestyle.
“Being a part of PGS has definitely helped me keep an open mind to all the different perspectives and ways people engage in fitness,” Peña wrote in an email. “As a former athlete, most of what I cared about regarding fitness was the effort I put in during practice, but joining PGS helped me grow to understand that a lot of work can happen outside the gym too.”
General body meetings typically occur biweekly on Wednesdays, each week altering between “Sweatshows,” which are group workouts, and “Chitchats,” which are educational-based discussions revolving around women’s issues and health education. Peña conveyed she likes to keep “Sweatshows” fun and beginner friendly to encourage more students to participate in the sessions.
PGS also works with other on-campus organizations which includes their recent collaboration with the Dominican Student Association where they had a dembow zumba workout — a cardio based fitness dance to a Dominican sub-genre of reggaeton.
Peña described what she’s looking forward to for Pink Brunch.
“What I’m most excited about with Pink Brunch is just seeing it all come together exactly how we imagined,” Peña wrote. “We’ve all put in a lot of effort this academic year to build PGS up, and most of our current E-Board will be graduating this May. But I know we’re definitely going to put our all into Pink Brunch to make sure we nail its purpose of bringing together and celebrating the women on this campus.”
For more information about Pretty Girls Sweat, visit their Instagram page @prettygirlssweatbu or contact them at prettygirlssweat@binghamtonsa.org.