Nearly everybody is aware of the dreaded Freshman 15, especially if you are a new college student. It’s one of those things that everybody warns you about before you head off to your university for the first time, and people often mention it lightly, joking that you could potentially gain a few pounds between the time you leave and the time you return for summer break.

Many studies have been conducted to test whether college freshmen actually gain weight during their first year, and a majority of these studies agree that they do, due to the fact that freshman are typically eating unhealthy meals at dining halls, drinking more, becoming stressed by their workload, and feeling more overwhelmed.

But since this issue is brought up often, it can be a serious concern to a bunch of people. Many new students at colleges, myself included, hear about the fatal Freshman 15, and they panic. They worry about losing control of their weight and their body when they arrive on campus, and they don’t want to experience this common downfall.

Thus, when freshmen arrive on campus, many become focused on rigorous exercise along with their studies. They decide to join intramural or club teams, they attend classes at the gym, or they simply maintain their workout routine from home.

This awareness of the pitfalls that may come with unhealthy eating/drinking at college is a fantastic thing. Because the Freshman 15 is mentioned so frequently, students are doing their best to prevent it. By doing this, friends find ways to make exercising a social activity, such as going to the gym together or maybe joining a team together. They motivate each other and support each other with their fitness goals.

However, one of the things that I have realized is that college can create a negative environment when it comes to body image, which may be a result of the fear of the Freshman 15. Students become obsessed with how their body looks and although they’ve maintained a healthy lifestyle into college, many people become worried that what they’re doing is not enough. Even if they haven’t gained the Freshman 15, they think they need to do more to prevent it.

With this focus on exercise (which can be a really good thing), there comes a focus on food. This is where things can become messy, because students become obsessed with what they’re eating. They begin to eat less, or eat what they think will help them lose weight, and then they may judge others for what they’re eating too. Instead of creating a welcoming place for everyone, people often feel pressured about what they’re eating, and it creates an environment that focuses solely on body image, and leads to the types of eating disorders that are rampant throughout this country.

I have heard within my own campus statements such as “oh, I’m getting so fat” or “I ate too much, I need to pull the trigger.” These messages are often meant to be taken lightly, or they’re meant to be jokes, but to many people who may have struggled with body image, these words can be detrimental.

The preoccupation with weight and preventing the Freshman 15 has been a good thing in the fact that it is encouraging students to maintain healthy lifestyles while they’re at college. It encourages freshmen to exercise more and eat healthier, which can be really helpful with all of the stress that comes with being a new college student. However, along with these positives, it also creates a place where students feel comfortable talking about their bodies in a negative fashion and it makes the people around them feel bad about themselves.

The thing that many people don’t realize is how much they can affect others with what they say. As someone who has had close friends who have suffered from eating disorders, it frustrates me to no end that this is still a prevalent problem within colleges. Although it seems like everyone is older and more mature, many people still fall into the same careless mindset that they held years before, and it makes things worse for everybody around them.

As someone who enjoys exercising (I love to run) and who tries to focus on what they eat, I am all for avoiding the Freshman 15. I think getting good exercise and eating healthy, balanced meals at college is a great thing that everyone should strive towards. However, the idea that our bodies are ugly, and that we should all aspire to look the exact same way is not something that I can stand to live with. We should all work to think more about the things we say, and we should be building each other up instead of tearing each other down. The Freshman 15 should not be another reason that people can’t be healthy and love themselves, and I hope that even if some of us do gain some weight in college (which is highly likely), that we will not let it ruin how we feel about ourselves and our bodies.