Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Nov. 20, 2002, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of Meredith College Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
B" CAMPUS OP/ED EDITOR’S CORNER Submit a letter to the editor! E-mail smithjo@ meredith.edu Why are women more self-conscious than men? JONI SMITH Editor-tn-Chief As I ran around Lake Johnson last weekend, 1 noticed something that struck me as being quite peculiar. Every jogger 1 met on the trail, with the exception of one man who was probably in his early fifties, was female. This made me notice who the customers were in GNC when 1 went to stockup on my daily vitamins. Once again, the overwhelming majority was female. The next day I went to the N.C. State gym with a friend since Meredith's gym does not open until later in the evening on Sundays. 1 was amazed at my fmdings. I counted 47 women in the gym and only six men. I also asked a few of my friends who go to other schools to check out who works out in the gym with them. All of them said that females were the vast majority in their school’s workout facilities. I have been wondering why it is that women seem to be so much more con cerned with health and how they look than men. I'm not saying men never work out, because I see guys working out in State’s gym all the time with muscles that rival what I've seen in Arnold Schwartzenegger movies. But I am saying that 1 definitely see dispari ties in the number of men and women iji the ^m and in health food stores, which leads me to believe that for some reason, men are just not as concerned with their bodies as we are. Why is this? Is it because women realize more than men that a healthy diet and exercise are requirements to live a long and healthy life? Or maybe because women find some strange enjoyment out of dieting and exercise that men don't? I think nei ther is the answer. How many times do you see half-naked men in mag azines compared to half- naked women? Why do shows like Comedy Central's “The Man Show” exist, where women who can't possibly weigh more than 110 pounds are affec tionately referred to as "juggies?” Why does the average number of women admitted to rehabilitation centers and hospitals due to eating disorders greatly outweigh the number of men? I tend to think women are subject to more criticism if they are overweight. I also believe women are more sensitive about their weight than the majority of men and women care more about how they look com pared to other women, whereas most guys could care less what other men look like. So, why is this? 1 have to attribute at least some of this to our society, where people are judged more on how they look and dress rather than their character and intelligence. But both men and women are guilty of this, so this cannot be the only answer to why women are more concerned with their body images than most men. I think perhaps another cause can be attributed to no one but ourselves. No one forces us to workout for hours a week. No one forces us to live off of salads and pass on fried chicken, chocolate and other all time favorites. We do all of this to ourselves and cannot blame any man for it, no matter how much we may want to. But surely we women cannot be the only reason for our insecurities. But then when you think about this subject, it gets more complex. For example, how many of you have ever suggested that the man in your life try eating a few more salads and a few less cheesebui^- ers? Chances are, if you have, you probably got laughed at. I certainly did. But I know several women whose partners have told them they should shed a few pounds, and eveiy one of them immedi ately started thinking of ways she could lose her unwanted pounds. I wish women today would realize that not everyone has to be super model thin. Sometimes I look through J. Crew cata logs and wonder why in the world anyone would want to be that skinny. Th'# average size of a model in 1986 was a size eight. In 1996, that average had shrunk to a size five, and today most supermod els weigh in at around 102 pounds, just tiny enough for them to fit into a size two pair of jeans. Over the years, male models have tended to stay the same size or get larger, if anything. Why is this? If you know the answer, I would really like to know. Alcoholism and college students: a frightening reality KASEY OVERTON Staff Writer I'm beginning to think that concerts are a reason for people to get drunk. Frat boys downing alco hol for $4 a beer have plagued the last three concerts I've attended. This really bugs me. 1 go to concerts to see bands perform, not to get hit on by "fratastic" guys who slur every word out of their mouths. But it's not just the frat guys who may have symp toms of alcoholism. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health shows that more than one in three col lege students can be diag nosed with alcohol disor ders. So what is leading col lege students to drink? 1 asked a close friend of mine why he felt the need to drink every time he goes out. He replied, "1 drink alcohol to be a more open and sociable person. It allows me to drop my guard and just be a com mon person." Statistics show men drink more alcohol per week than women. In my opinion, girls have an easier time being themselves than guys. So maybe guys are insecure and need alcohol to show their true selves? Oh please. Another study showed that 50 percent of college students said drinking alco hol increases their chances of sexual activity. Now that is a scary statistic. Want to know something even scarier? The same study showed that 40 per cent of college students experienced forced sexual touching while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Maybe we should be more careful the next time we take a drink. Since I turned 21,1 have noticed that drinking really is a serious issue on college campuses. A fi-iend of mine with whom I grew up has a serious drinking problem, but how can I help him? And are the colleges providing any type of support for alcoholism? Of course Meredith pro vides the Counseling Center, but is that enough? But I'm not saying I'm perfect. 1 like to have a drink every now and then with my friends. But I definitely do not need alcohol to be more like myself or to have a good time.
Meredith College Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 20, 2002, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75