Body image has always been complicated. In middle school, I thought every girl wanted to have bigger boobs, grow a few inches taller, and look a few years older. In high school, I thought every girl wanted to have a little less acne, no braces, and a smaller butt.
College comes with plenty of new experiences, but I thought the issue body image would be less apparent. With less exposure to media, fewer opportunities to shop in stores that label us as certain sizes and body constructions, a better selection of healthy and fresh meals than the average college, and a top notch fitness facility, I thought we’d be less focused on our bodies here at Kenyon. It’s safe to say that I was wrong. Body image at college is just a complicated as it’s ever been. Let’s talk about how and why I feel this way.
1. Kenyon hookup culture
Dating in high school was intimidating. The pool of “acceptable” partners was static for four years, but it’s a whole different ball game now. For some, concerns shift from homecoming dates to potential hookups. We care less about looking good for one specific person, and instead feel the need to be ranked and reviewed by an entire student population. With this intense hookup culture, it can feel as if we are deemed desirable solely by appearance.
2. The KAC/Peirce
The Kenyon Athletic Center is high tech, available, and free. But working out along side varsity athletes and the genetically blessed is costly. Yes, the KAC is wonderful, but it’s intimidating too. The fit population of the KAC is both inspirational and hindering. Wanting to get fit and exercise alongside those who belong in Sports Illustrated is no easy task. Peirce can be just as hard. Out of convenience, grabbing a pizza, a bowl of cereal, an apple, anything we can get our hands on, happens too often. Waiting in line for nutritious omelets or throwing together a five star salad before class is time consuming. Skipping meals or heading straight to the desserts station is fast and easy, and sometimes, it feels like we can’t win.
3. Being surrounded by students
Some body issues can’t be edited; they just are what they are (whether bone structure, eye color, skin color, hair thickness, or height), but they still play a huge role in how we feel about our bodies and what is “ideal.” Needless to say, we get mixed signals about what’s the “right” way to look from media and celebrities that represent people who are tall, short, curvy, trim, etc. Our genetic makeup, not the time we spend at the KAC, determines our bone structure. There is no ideal body that fits every genetic makeup, not to mention every perspective represented on our campus. Beauty is perceived differently around the world, around America, and therefore around this campus. It is important to remember that while we can’t please everyone, we shouldn’t have to.
4. Life stages
Myth: Puberty starts and ends in high school.
Truth: Puberty can last into college.
Most males don’t reach full maturity until early twenties, and according to teenhealthsource.com, females and non-binary genders can still be encountering changes throughout college as well. Where we are in development is a massive determinant in body shape, metabolic rate, and appetite. Some of us were done developing before college applications were even submitted. Some won’t be done until grad school diplomas are received. And some aren’t sure where we stand right now. “Do I look thirteen or thirty?” It can depend on the day. Comparing ourselves to people who look much older or younger is confusing. Everyone is developing at a different rate, and we notice.
5. Stress: Academic or Otherwise
College is stressful. We are being evaluated by teachers, by peers, families, and ourselves. Plus, stress can create dramatic weight loss and gain; stress throws our bodies out of whack. These factors and all those listed above create more stressors by comparing ourselves to bodies that are most likely unattainable.
The point is that college doesn’t make body image any simpler. Knowing a few of the factors that cause us to criticize and judge our bodies might lighten the burden a little. Knowing that everyone else is undergoing the same pressures and feeling, the same fears about their appearance, however, might help too. It’s up to us to accept our appearance, or if we do want to change our image, to accept what is realistic for us. Looking at the other students and letting these factors decide the ideal body type won’t tell us the answers to the questions we’re asking about our bodies, our health, and our self worth.
Image: dailymail.co.uk