So, let's just cut to the chase: before I moved away to college, I weighed 140 pounds. Now, as my first year comes to an end, I weigh almost 160 pounds. Since my parents always told me to go above and beyond what is expected of me, I didn't just gain the "freshman 15," I went about five pounds past that and gained a "freshman 20."
Now, I personally do not care that my weight has fluctuated so much. I realize that, upon my arrival at my new living space, there was no kitchen, so I could not cook for myself. I was forced to either eat at the school dining hall or go out and buy fast food. Balancing speech, five classes, and two jobs, I also could not find time to exercise, let alone breathe or sleep. So, having the "freshman fifteen" stereotype thrown in my face almost everywhere I turn was not really a big deal to me. I am aware that I do not look as thin and healthy as I did when I first moved away, yet I realize that, since I have moved back home, it will be much easier for me to lose the weight again and become my normal self. I'm totally in harmony with my body and not at all angry with it for putting on those twenty pounds. However, for others who have self-image issues, this is not the case.
A student's first year of college is already a stressful time – increased responsibility, debt with zeros in places that will suck the life out of a grown person's eyes, exams, debt, making friends, debt, debt, oh and did I mention debt – yet, for students with body image issues, it can get even worse once they begin to gain the "freshman fifteen." Turning to others for solace will prove to be of no avail, as the response will likely be, "Well, of course you're gaining weight! That good old freshman 15!"
Shrugging the student's weight gain off as just "that pesky freshman 15," is probably the worst thing a person can do as it reinforces the stereotype that weight gain is to be expected ("Oh well, of course you're getting heavier"). It is harmful to tell freshman students with eating disorders or body image issues that they should "just expect" to gain weight their first year of college. "But I didn't know they had an eating disorder or body issues," you may exclaim. Here's a solution: Can't tell with whom to definitely not discuss the freshman 15? Simple. Just don't freaking talk about it.
Not only is it problematic to tell freshmen that they gain weight "just because, ah, you know, that freshman fifteen," but doing so could also throw a theoretical blanket over the real issue. The student who has gained weight may have a physical or mental health problem, both of which weight gain can be a sign. Brushing it under the rug could cause the problem to go unnoticed, therefore making the situation much worse than it was before.
So, college students who have gained the freshman 15 or, like me, even a little more than the freshman fifteen:
Do not be ashamed. At our age, weight fluctuates quite a bit. I understand that college is a stressful time in which it becomes increasingly difficult to exercise and eat healthily. You should not have to be made to feel embarrassed about your body. There is no incorrect way to have a body.
And to others who want to police freshmen about their weight – if you see a college freshman and want to know how to go about making a remark about his or her weight, here's one simple step:
1. Don't.
