Design school: probably not where you thought this article would start off with, and yet here we are. I am a first year studying fashion design at one of the most prestigious design schools in the nation: the University of Cincinnati's school of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, or DAAP.
Being in design school has been more than a rude awakening for me. Now, don't get me wrong, it is an amazing school with amazing people and amazing results, but there is nothing but hard work that brings you there.
I have never worked so hard at school in my entire life. The hours I put in are unimaginable; sometimes I look at the clock, see it's 3 am, shrug, and go right back to hand sewing the hem of my skirt. Procrastination does not work well with the major, and yet I tend to do nothing but procrastinate.
This, in turn, brings about one of our overarching themes: I didn't diet or workout before spring break, and I've never been happier.
The reason I didn't put all those hours into the gym or skip out on pizza for a salad was because I completely forgot to! I was so focused on my school work, I forgot about what I thought others thought about my body.
I didn't starve myself for a week. I didn't do a juice cleanse. I didn't do the "ice diet." I ate what my body told me it wanted, which most of the time was Penn Station.
When I gave my body the fuel it wanted, it made me a happier, more productive girl. I felt like myself during a time of the year where I'm normally obsessing over every last detail of my calorie intake and calories burned.
Now this whole journey of self awakening and loving my body was not an easy one. I don't wake up every day, look in the mirror, and jump up and down with utter joy at the sight of my stomach. It was not a spur of the moment thing that happened this year because I forgot to get "bikini body ready."
It's a learning process, and this student has not yet become the master.
As often as it is said, a really huge part of the reason why girls and women obsess over the most minute details of their body is due to today's body standards: flat stomach, big boobs, big butt, no stretch marks, no cellulite, 5'9" and up. And while many females are blessed naturally with that body, majority are not, yet we don't end up seeing these girls on the cover of Vogue.
Although society is really stepping up their game with signing more plus size models and showing that big is beautiful, where are our average girls?
I am not saying we need to rid these beautiful size 0-2 models who tower over us, and the flawless 8+ girls, but we need more "average" women.
And it sucks that we have to call this in between of skinny model and plus size model "average" because I know not a single woman size 4-6 who is average.
Once we really, really showcase all body types as normal and beautiful, then and only then we can change the world.
Now I am not telling you to completely stop working out because working out is so good for you. I should be working out more, it just so happens that my lack of it brought me to a better understanding of myself.
So there you have it. An article about how I didn't diet or workout before spring break stemming from procrastination and ultimately leading to society's standards and self love.
Funky, but it gets the point across.
