The Freshman Fifteen

Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad).

When I went home for Thanksgiving my first year of college, a family member remarked on my gaining the "freshman fifteen," and I'll never forget how mortified I was.

I had been the "skinny" girl for my entire life up until that point. Something about the combination of having a slender body type, daily cheerleading practices, stress, lack of sleep, and a youthful metabolism had allowed me to eat whatever I wanted, any time I wanted, while never gaining a single pound. But then I was introduced to dining hall food, excessive alcohol consumption, and the realization that when you stop exercising, your body tends to react negatively.

In my defense, here is a photo of me at the end of high school:

And here is one taken around the time the "freshman fifteen"comment was made:

So yeah, maybe I had put on a couple pounds. But was it honestly enough to remark on, especially to an extremely young, impressionable college girl? Luckily, I came down with mono by Christmas and that took care of any extra weight and then some (at least for the time being), but that comment has always stuck with me. It's made me think that everyone is always looking at me, watching my weight fluctuate up and down (as it tends to do these days), and judging.

I'm sure my family member didn't mean anything by it at the time, other than to make a casual joke (I think it was accompanied by a pinch to my waistline), but it really hurt, and I've remembered it ever since.