I recently came across an article called "10 Things College Girls Do That College Guys SHOULD Appreciate, But Don't," that completely irked my soul to no end. It is one of the most superficial and inaccurate posts I've ever come across, and that's impressive.
It paints college girls as people who only work on their appearance to appease their male counterparts. We can't seem to get dressed up and keep up with the latest trends for ourselves and benefit, and it seems like we are always thirsty for the attention of the man.
Well.. news flash...
WE DON'T.
Girls do balance a lot while attending college. We care about ourselves plus family and friends we've made along the way. On top of that, we have our academic and professional life to master and we take own shit on the daily. Granted, this is not always the case, as things pop up here and there but we adjust accordingly because we are strong women.
So let me break down how and why this article is wrong on so many levels.
1. Our mani and pedi are NOT always fresh.
Most of us are broke college students who hardly have time to spend an hour sitting in a chair to get our nails done. We either have stuff to do, or we just don't feel like it. And, when we do get our nails done, we do it for ourselves, just because.
2. We do what we want to our hair.
This is neither stressful or complex. Most of us girls have better things to do with our times that to seek out trends for hairstyles to get in the salon. Au contraire, I can probably guarantee that most of us pull our hair in a bun or leave it out then call it a day.
3. Our makeup is not always on fleek.
As I sit here in this 7/11 booth rocking a fresh face writing this article, I cannot fathom why this would be an accurate statement. Granted, we may spend a lot of time in the makeup store because we want to find foundations that match our skin tone, but not all of us have the time or energy every day to beat out face for the gods.
We all have our own struggles when it comes to our face (oily skin, dry skin, uneven skin tone, etc) and its relationship with makeup; but sometimes, a little mascara, lip gloss, eyeshadow or absolutely nothing goes a long way.
4. "She's always up in the gym workin' on her fitness."
Ummm.... NO! Us girls so try to maintain a healthy regimen when it comes to our diet and exercise, but we are not always there. Some people, much like myself, avoid the gym at all cost because of our own personal struggles to gain weight.
We eat what we want, where we want, how we want, when we want it, and that's OK. And, to the women who actually go to the gym every day, that's OK too.
5. We repeat outfits (A LOT) and some of them are most definitely not stylish.
First of all, who has money to waste on clothes to the point that they never repeat outfits? Yes, we want to look good when we go out, but sweatpants and sweatshirts do us wonders sometimes. Hello? Ever heard of a washing machine and a dryer? Girl, that is how you ball on a budget.
Secondly, we don't all have the money to spend $100 on outfits just to get the attention of boys. What girls have learned to do is lure the person in whom they're interested by wearing sweatpants.
Play your cards right and you'll still get him.
6. "Her teeth are white, eyebrows are threaded, and her skin is clear."
Body and image maintenance is important and we do this for ourselves and our own sanity, not for boys. Sometimes though, our teeth are not white, our eyebrows are f*cked up and some of us are working on our skin.
7. Some of us are completely messy, and that's alright.
Our rooms and surroundings are not always clean. There are hardly enough hours in the day to get through life as it is. Just like how some boys’ rooms are messy, so are some girls’ rooms. Clothes, makeup, and shoes everywhere.
8. We do have beauty and brains.
9. Girls do grind hard at work.
10. We don't always do it for the gram.
To all the girls out there, you do not need to be perfect for anyone but you. And the beauty in being perfect is that you get to define what the word means to you. It is all perspective. In fact, most of us just want to get through the day unbothered by people and the many expectations that have in mind for us girls.
And those are my two cents on the topic...
BE YOU AND DO YOU BOO BOO!