Oh, the freshman 15. I think we’ve all heard this term plenty of times before starting our college lives. Seeing this picture reminded me how worried I was before I began college that I would be one of those girls who gained the “freshman 15”. I definitely didn’t want to end up as the depressed-looking guy in this picture who put on some weight.
Everywhere I look there are always tips around campus and online on staying fit and maintaining a healthy weight during school. It can be overwhelming to always have those thoughts in the back of your head about having a good body and watching every little thing you eat. Just the other day I heard a guy talking with one of his friends saying how disappointed he was because a girl he thought was “really hot” had now gained so much weight that she was unrecognizable. It seems that body image is one of the most important things during college. This fear of gaining the freshman 15 has even created problems on the other end with anorexia and eating disorders. Weight issues with college students have been becoming more serious recently.
Our culture pushes us to have the perfect bodies. There’s a constant worry about not looking good, staying in shape, not gaining that dreaded freshmen 15. I think this picture reinforces that fear by showing us what we could look like if we don’t watch our weight. It’s a struggle in our society nowadays to realize what it is to be healthy and to just be happy with our bodies and not stress so much.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Freshman 15?
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=freshman+15&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1434&bih=755&tbm=isch&tbnid=73VATSozV_rT8M:&imgrefurl=http://lcb10d.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-avoid-freshman-15.html&docid=vOOS-Grxa40uZM&w=400&h=425&ei=RQ-JTsizDMjt0gG35NndDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=205&vpy=197&dur=428&hovh=188&hovw=176&tx=122&ty=70&page=1&tbnh=179&tbnw=168&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
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I agree with you about the confusion between the idea of good health and just being skinny. I was and still am one of those students who is terrifies of gaining weight, so every poster, advertisements and programs about staying healthy decodes as keeping the weight down. I am almost sad that I cant bring myself to eat a pan of lasagnas and be happy.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true with college students today. Many students do come to college and gain weight and this isn't always, it's just our bodies are adjusting to a new lifestyle that we need to get use to! I think this pressure is a bit scary just because there are so many stories about people gaining the freshmen 15 so it scares a lot of girls into taking extremes to not letting it happen and actually going the opposite way and developing an eating disorder that was never prevalent before their college years.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. I am terrified of gaining the freshmen 15. I have noticed I've gained a few pounds, but I am getting back on track with my workout schedule and I'm praying that that will fix it. Body image is such an important thing in college, even throughout high school and junior high. It is forced upon us every day to look at ourselves and think if we are healthy enough or fit enough. We see advertisments about diets and exercises and tips to eat healthy. I think it is a good thing that there are so many ways we can get help on campus for eating healthy. I just think that all of these adverstisements are showing us what we "should" be like. I agree that we worry and stress over our bodies too much. It is sad how much we stress over it.
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