Written by Sarah Joseph
Every fall, you’ll see articles in magazines like Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Women’s Health, online blogs, and even newspapers like the Washington Post bemoaning and warning against the horrid and inevitable Freshman 15. For those who have never heard this term before, it is the idea that freshmen in college will gain about 15 pounds their first year. Some say it is because this is the first time for many that Freshman are on their own, allowed to eat as much as they want and even have dessert for dinner. No one is stopping them from ordering that Domino’s at midnight, driving to Sheetz at 2 am, or eating that whole bag of Family size Dortios.
I want to challenge this idea of Freshman 15. Weight gain is not necessarily a bad thing nor the worst thing to happen to someone. Instead of worrying against gaining weight, I encourage you to think about a healthy lifestyle and think positively towards the body. Enjoy college! Make friends, enjoy the food you eat, and live without regrets. When you look back on your time at ‘Noke, do you want to think about how you obsessed over your weight or do you want to remember good memories and living the best life you could have?
