Being The Bigger Person, Literally. | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Being The Bigger Person, Literally.

5 things bigger people know all to well.

30
Being The Bigger Person, Literally.
Paige Woodbury

When I first came to college, I realized something: people come in all shapes and sizes, literally!

During high school, I typically saw a lot of people who were generally skinny or they had a little bit of weight on them. Most of my friends in high school were the skinnier ones who could eat a four-course meal and not gain an ounce. And then there was me: I would eat a four-course meal and gain every bit of the weight. Although it doesn't seem fair (and it's not) I'm still chunky because that's how I am. I like my body and I'm OK with being the bigger person.

When I say bigger, I don't mean the size of an elephant, I simply mean a little larger than others. At one point I was scared to come to college because I didn't think there would be many other people who weighed as much as me, if not more. And thank God I was surprised. My first day I was astonished at how many different types of people there were. I saw people who were 4 feet tall, and some who were almost at 7 feet. I also saw people who weighed 90 pounds, and some who weighed roughly 300 to 400. I felt relieved that I was in a diverse community.

Although I felt normal because I fit in, I also noticed a bunch of new struggles that come along with being the chunky one. Many people who weigh more have a slightly difficult time adapting to changes that come along with going to college. Some of the challenges may not be as hard, but even though they are still annoying.

1. Desks

Almost every university has a hall or classroom that has those desks. I despise them. You know what I'm talking about, the desks that are fit for maybe an 8th grader. They have a right handed setup and I think there's barely 12 inches of space between the back of the chair and the top of the desk. If you've sat in them before, I'm sure you know how to maneuver your way into them and then for the next 50 minutes of class, you can't breath too hard or else the desk will break.

2. Campus Clothing (Or Clothing In General)

The moment your friend says, "Let's go shopping! I need some school apparel!" you automatically think, "Oh no, can I sit this one out?" Most stores nowadays are getting better at having larger sizes, but most of the time there's only one shirt that is bigger than a large-sized t-shirt. But of course they carry small, medium, and large in extra quantities! Yet when you do finally find your size, the price is probably a little too much, only because there is "extra material."

3. Sweat

No, it is not sweet, but we all know how bad the sweat can get. Applying deodorant two times a day sometimes isn't enough. Even if you aren't that big, you can still sweat tremendously but with the more weight on your body, you are physically going to produce more sweat, and the smell, appearance and even feeling is absolutely disgusting.

4. Please Don't Burst My Bubble

There are some days I'm okay with sitting closely to someone, and other days I wish I had a bubble to surround me and keep others out of my personal space. Some people don't understand that bigger people need a little more room to breath and to walk, so a majority of the time they are invading our personal space and it gets aggravating.

5. Food

Everyone loves food. If you don't, then there's something wrong with you. However, some days, I just don't feel like eating a lot. Whether my stomach hurts or I'm nervous for some reason, I sometimes only eat enough to get by. One of the most infamous questions I get asked is, "Why aren't you eating that much?" Uh, maybe because I don't need a lot of food, why does it matter? Just because someone is bigger, it doesn't mean that they eat a lot, they could just have a slow metabolism. Being bigger is not always caused by over-eating.

Of course everyone has probably dealt with one of these problems, but the bigger people experience them on a daily basis. Being bigger isn't necessarily bad, it can just be a little irritating at points.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

2660
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

301820
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments