TW: eating disorders, mention of dieting
It may not be New Year’s, but many people have already begun dieting as the school year revs up.
As I read my college dorm assignment for the first time – a moment that one would usually mark as exciting – I was faced with a recommendation that stuck with me for weeks, a comment that I couldn’t help but detest. Noticing my third floor assignment, my father recommended that I take the stairs each time to avoid the infamous “Freshman 15.”
This idea of weight gain in college is somewhat of a taboo. Incoming freshmen seem to always be warned about this, as adults try to act like a few extra pounds mean the end of the world. And as my own father forewarned me about this very thing, I reflected on my life.
I’ve struggled with eating disorders in the past and still occasionally find myself falling back into these habits today. When I think back to my healthiest days physically, they seem to always coincide with my unhealthiest days mentally. I can’t blame my parents for my own eating disorder, but I can partially blame the environment in which I was raised.
I was never able to recognize my own individuality and beauty in the very traditional suburb that I was raised in. It felt as though every girl in school was the epitome of modern beauty standards and had the wardrobe budget to back it up.
My relationship with food and confidence will forever be things I struggle with – I just have to seek ways to push beyond them by knowing my worth. And believing in the toxic mentality behind the “Freshman 15” is something that I refuse to do.
Over the years, I’ve come to notice that many of those in the older generations ignore mental state, and simply measure health by appearance and the number on the scale. So when people try to express the risks in weight gain, especially those throughout college, I have to ignore what they’re saying. Because the truth is, the healthiest I have ever been was when the number on my scale was the highest.
Since the beginning of my college preparations, I’ve watched numerous videos on YouTube highlighting recommendations for first-year college students. The one note that has been consistent throughout most of these videos is the infamous “Freshman 15.” It’s being displayed everywhere, threatening young adults’ relationship with food, exercise, and even their own bodies before they even have the chance to learn their worth. In fact, young adults between the ages of 18-21 (the prime college years) are much more susceptible to eating disorders; 25% of males and 32.6% of females.
Colleges and universities should promote the idea of healthy lifestyles for their students through eating and exercise, but what they struggle to highlight is mental health. School stress alone can force students into rough phases. By adding toxic myths like the “Freshman 15” into the mix, students are bound to face problems, whether it’s disordered eating habits, anxiety, or even depression.
The notion that a body should stay the same from high school into adulthood is outright absurd. For many students, college is the first time that their habits – including eating and exercise – aren’t under the constant watch of family. While I can’t speak for all, I have to assume it’s invigorating for most.
Food is such an important part of human culture. When we restrict ourselves so severely throughout what’s supposed to be the best four years of our lives, we rid ourselves of many experiences and joys. People come together, converse, and laugh over meals, and college is just the beginning of that.
If you goes to school with the intention to lose weight, that’s great. And if you go to college with no physical goals at all, that’s great too. I just urge everyone, even those well past college age, to reject the phrase, “Freshman 15,” as it establishes shame around something so natural for young adults. Instead, encourage them to make friends and bond over meals because those are the memories that will last a lifetime.