“Freshman 15” is a well-known phrase that surrounds freshmen in college. College students are warned jokingly about gaining this extra weight, but it can be a very harmful mindset for students to feel like they must avoid weight gain at all costs. As many of the students on campus can attest to, starting college can be hard, regardless of your situation. The change in schedule and the energy it takes to be a good student can take a toll on a person.
The term “Freshman 15” is a stigma that feeds into the development of an eating disorder. In reality, fifteen pounds is not that much, but if it continues, these newfound behaviors can lead to an eating disorder. Increases in stress levels, different and new eating patterns, and even a lack of sleep can affect a student’s weight.
“The freshman fifteen is manageable if caught early,” says Michelle Wallis, a counselor at the Counseling and Accessibility Services (CAS) office. If symptoms and habits are caught early enough, students can avoid letting this small weight change develop into something bigger.
Photo by Sarah Hinnant.
A valuable online resource with lots of information on eating disorders, eating habits, and body image is the National Eating Disorder Association, NEDA. They offer resources like a free screening tool, which is confidential. It asks users questions and can suggest finding help if they are at risk for an eating disorder.
They also have preventative programs like the Body Project. It is a resource geared towards high school-age teens or college-age women with their struggles with disordered eating habits and thoughts as well as negative body image. Unfortunately, The Body Project is only geared towards woman, not men.
A misconception is that men do not struggle with eating disorders. “We forget that men have the same issues as women and the same insecurities,” says Wallis. Men struggle just as much as women do with their body image. The beauty standards say they must be tall, have a six-pack, and have broad shoulders with muscles. They cannot be too skinny or have too much body fat. They also struggle with shame like avoiding the “dad bod.”
There are some resources that shed some light on the silent struggle men have with eating disorders like eatingdisorderhope.com. This website provides insight, “A frightening 1 million men affected is no small impact. This number may not even properly convey the severity of eating disorders impact on men due to underreporting.” Although the beauty standards and societal expectations of men are different, it does not mean that men do not struggle just as much as women do. They simply have a different experience than most women who struggle with their physical appearance. However, they are under the same pressure to avoid the freshman fifteen.
There are many influences on our mindsets that make us think fifteen extra pounds is bad. Social media is no help. Whenever we are scrolling through TikTok or Instagram, we see models and celebrities who influence our self-esteem. Our minds automatically start comparing our bodies to theirs. We forget about the magic of filters and Photoshop. Most of these “perfect” bodies we see are not real.
As a society, we tend to hold ourselves to unrealistic expectations. It may be unfair to compare ourselves to professional athletes and models with athletic and lean bodies because it is part of their job to look a certain way. Most people cannot afford personal trainers and nutritionists, so to compare ourselves to people online is not fair.
Director of Business Development at Reasons Eating Disorder Center, Fiona LaRosa-Waters, warns us in an article she wrote on the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website. “Social media can be a significant channel for negative body image messages.” At the same time, you can control your feed to create a more positive environment online. Waters suggests, “Unfollow or mute accounts that don’t lift you up – whether it’s a college friend selling diet products or a celebrity about their every meal and workout.” Creating a body-positive feed on your social media can do so much to improve a person’s self-perception and self-acceptance.
Beauty standards are so engrained into our minds from birth that we forget we were all born with different body types that are unique to us. Not only can our upbringing affect this, but our metabolisms can affect our body types too. If someone has a slower metabolism, they may have to eat differently than someone with a faster metabolism.
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) explains this well, as “Each person’s genetic inheritance influences their bone structure, body size, shape, and weight differently.” Instead of being upset about our differences, NEDA suggest we embrace our diversity. “We should appreciate those differences, encourage healthy behaviors, and treat everybody with respect.” Having a healthy body should be more important than having one that fits society’s standards of beauty.
Our food and exercise choices can also affect our weight and build. We can choose to make a homecooked meal instead of eating fast food from McDonald’s or drinking water instead of soda. Just these small changes in our diets can help us get rid of bad habits that can lead to weight gain. Forming a healthy routine can help counteract some of the stress that can lead to weight changes.
Overall, the freshman fifteen is an unhealthy mindset to have. With such strong influences from beauty standards in society, people can develop severe body image issues and sometimes eating disorders. If you or someone you know is struggling, there are resources available to students at the CAS in 100 Annex with in-person or online counseling sessions. Do not feel scared to reach out and get help for you or someone you love.
Photo by Sarah Hinnant.