Body image in the college environment

by Carolyn Gevinski ’22, Staff Writer

The Spectator
The Spectator
Published in
4 min readOct 18, 2018
Photo Courtesy of Flickr

Before I came to Hamilton College, I attended a high school where students had little respect for each other. Belittling others and minimizing their self confidence prevailed, and the importance of a healthy body image was readily discarded. From living in this environment for so long, I have gained unusually high levels of paranoia that others often speak about how I look behind my back.

I can say with confidence that before coming to college, my self esteem and body image were significantly lower than average.

In the two months that I’ve been at Hamilton College, I’ve realized that the predominant attitude held at my high school is not universal. People do not call each other derogatory terms. People do not intentionally diminish their peers’ self-esteem. Obviously, there are a few exceptions, but I have personally noticed that the students at Hamilton College are far more supportive and respectful than those I had previously been surrounded by.

After spending only two months in a place with a more considerate climate, I’ve noticed a great rise in my own individual body confidence. As a college athlete, I find that I have time allotted specifically to work out, and I don’t have to force myself to go to the gym. I can also eat more food with the knowledge that I will burn it off later. However, this statement does not hold true for all college freshmen.

Within a matter of days, we are ripped from the comforting spheres of familiarity, and thrown into a foreign setting. We are forced to battle new stresses, and learn how to balance school work with social life. We are confronted with a hook-up culture that may be very different from what we experienced in high school. For some, these changes are fluid, but for others, self-esteem and individual body image can take a hit.

Increased school work, a more critical grading system and social temptations can result in frequent stress eating. Late night snacks while studying for an exam, or trips at 11:30 P.M. to Commons for a bowl of Cocoa Puffs

are two of my own stress-reducing habits. I am also sure that I’m not the only one who has woken up on a Saturday morning regretting last night’s trip to Diner B.

The hook-up culture is also a considerable adjustment. For many first-years, the opportunity for hooking up or being in a relationship had rarely arisen in the past. These new experiences can stimulate body-oriented insecurities that may not have previously existed.

There is also a significant difference in the way these unfamiliar occurrences can take effect on students of different genders. Society tends to emphasize body positivity as an issue that is primarily female-oriented. While it is true that body-oriented insecurities are prevalent specifically among women, it is important to acknowledge that men also suffer from similar anxieties.

That brings us to the ultimate question: how exactly do we define “body image?” According to the National Eating Disorders Association, body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. This mental image can be altered by differences in both individual past experiences and cultural expectations. For example, the “ideal” female body in China is very different from that in the United States.

Individual past experiences may also affect how a person views themselves. For example, a person who has suffered domestic or relationship abuse may question their worth, or believe that if they looked a certain way, their past experience would not have occurred.

Students at Hamilton College come from 47 states and 45 countries around the world. We practice different religions, belong to diverse ethnicities, have unique sexual identities, and speak varying tongues. We all enter college with different opinions of ourselves, and depending on a variety of circumstances, these opinions may change for better or for worse.

Above all, it is important to note that, as a community, we should strive to remember these differences in identity when we acknowledge each other.

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Published in The Spectator

Publishing the truth, from good motives and for justifiable ends since 1847, The Spectator is Hamilton College's independent, student-run weekly newspaper.

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