Body image continues to be a big issue throughout a girl's life, but it seems to skyrocket to top priority once she enters college. Whether she thinks she's too fat or too skinny, there always seems to be something bothering her. The big issue with already having thoughts like these planted in your head is when they are verbalized by others it rings loud and clear, and that's the only thing you seem to be able to focus on.
What's upsetting is the huge phenomenon of the so-called "Dad Bod." This happens when a guy comes to college and starts to do what inevitably all college kids do: drink. The Dad Bod is praised by all males, and the issue of "letting themselves" go because all they want to do is eat, drink, sleep, and party is not a big deal. I'm not saying this isn't okay, because I have to have a guy with washboard abs. I'm saying this isn't okay because girls can't do it, too.
Why is it okay if a guy gains a little extra college weight but a girl can't?
Both males and females are guilty of judging girls for gaining "the freshman 15" or for saying something along the lines of "all that alcohol made her fat," and this is something we all really have to stop doing. I'm sure if you noticed it, she sure as hell did, too.
Whether she's working on getting back to where she was before or if she actually doesn't mind being a few pounds heavier, it is not your problem and not your place to speak. It is not your place to judge the way her body looks when she bravely bares it in a bikini at the pool or on vacation.
Yes, I'm specifically talking to all you fellas out there with that glorified "Dad Bod." The audacity to think you can call a girl fat. Don't even think about saying a girl looks a little heavier than usual when you're sitting there with your sixth beer of the day resting on your own belly.
And to the ladies who think it's okay to sit poolside and scoff about how another girl needs to work on her stomach, or how flat her butt is, or even how she "looks like she starves herself and needs a cheeseburger," what happened to girls lifting up other girls?
With all the pressure we get from the media to look picture perfect all the time, shouldn't you be in support with other girls instead of adding to the problem?
College is already hard enough trying to manage our course load and our social life. It's important that speaking negatively about how other people look stops happening. You may never know someone's story, so don't just assume all the partying got to their body. That next girl you comment on could have struggled with some sort of mental health issue, like depression or anxiety all on her own, and you have no idea what she goes through. Your comment about her appearance does not need to add to the pressure she already feels.
So do yourself a favor and don't say anything that could potentially tear another person down. Everyone gossips and what you said about someone will eventually get back to them – it's inevitable. Society and media are already tough on girls and how they look, don't add more fuel to the fire.
Anyway, didn't your parents ever teach you that if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all?
