Spring Time Bodies are Bullshit!

courtesy of giphy.com

You’re writing your history paper at three in the morning, trying to survive another soul-crushing midterms season. As your eyes mindlessly glaze over the screen of your laptop, your hand robotically reaches for another ~flaming hot~ cheeto. As you finally finish reading over your paper that you know just isn’t good, you glance over at the calendar on your wall. It’s already March? The panic sets in as you think about what this really means. Your mind thinks about the mountain of bathing suits, tank tops and shorts piled in your closet, mocking you. The panic and dread sets in. “WHAT HAVE I DONE???” you think to yourself as you look at the empty Chipotle and Taco Bell takeout bags strewn across your room, frantically throwing away the rest of your cheetos. As you stand up, you suddenly realize that your pants do feel just a little tighter than they did a month ago. You quickly come to terms with the realization that you are indeed screwed!! SPRING IS COMING!!

 Ahhhh springtime, the time of year that comes with a unique mixture of fear, dread and excitement for the sun to maybe exist for more than 5 seconds. Unfortunately for ‘Cuse, spring still means cold and zero sunshine. But springtime also serves as a gentle reminder that you have around a month and a half to get your life together and go to the gym. After a long and cold winter consisting of Kimmel and Calio’s, you might feel a little anxious about putting on a bathing suit for the first time. Trust us, we get it.

 But the thing is, pretty much everyone else feels just as shitty about their bodies as you do. According to a Glamour magazine survey, women have on average 13 negative thoughts about their body every single day. Yeah, THIRTEEN. That’s one negative thought for almost every hour that you’re awake. What’s equally as shitty is that 97 percent of women in the survey have had “I hate my body” moments throughout their lives. Sooooo pretty much everyone.

 Since almost no one is 100 percent happy with their body, what is this insane amount of pressure that we put on ourselves to be perfectly toned and tan by the time that spring break or summer rolls around?

 College kids barely have enough time to breath, let alone go to the gym every single day. Also, this is Syracuse, not exactly the easiest place to live a healthy lifestyle, so it’s not your fault if you don’t eat as well as you did in high school.

 The truth is, everyone secretly feels insanely insecure about how they look in a bikini, one-piece, tankini, whatever your swimwear preference, then why can’t we all just calm down and stop freaking out about how we look? Honestly, some chub is kind of endearing. Look at the facts, puppies AND babies are 100 percent cuter with some baby fat and it’s confirmed that dad bods are in. It’s just science.

 So, don’t hate yourself for putting on a little extra weight. After all, winter is the time for hibernation. We don’t make the rules, mother nature does.