By Vincent Utz
Correspondent
Body image, or the mental perception of one's body, is typically portrayed as a negative aspect a person may have about themselves. However, it is not inherently bad.
Body image continues to be a prominent issue not only among college students but also among America's general youth. One way people go about becoming more comfortable with their bodies is by going to the gym.
Ilana Pazzani, a sophomore music education major, has been going to the gym since her freshman year. Going three to four times a week, she typically uses weight machines, dumbbells and deadlifts. Her main goal of going to the gym is to build muscle.
As Pazzani shifted from her childhood into young adulthood, she began to develop her own body image. “I feel like it's something we always ignored when we were little, and then the second I became ‘conscious,’ it was the only thing I cared about,” she said. “It’s definitely something that I wish I didn’t have to think about, but I do, of course, because I’m a human.”
She further explains the intersection between this natural human behavior and the setting of a college campus. “I mean, it’s the first thing you notice about a person. Especially in college, when we are looking for human interaction, it's a major thing. But I think also in college we're more aware of it because we're taking all these classes and are stressed.”
Her personal experience of her body image fluctuates like most people. “It’s taken me a while to get to the point that I am at today, being a little more comfortable,” said Pazzani. “You know, some days are bad days, but genuinely, my body image has always been like, ‘You’re too fat, and you need to be skinny.’”
Pazzani said that going to the gym has helped her become more comfortable with her body, as well as reduce self judgment and comparison of herself to others.
“It definitely gave me more confidence,” said Pazzani. “It definitely is like a ground for more comparison, like you’re going to go there, and you’re going to compare and compare, but the more consistent I was and the more I saw results, the more I felt better outside the gym. I felt healthier, and it affects your mind.”
She further highlighted that the atmosphere of the Fitness Center at Campus Town is very representative of gyms outside of the campus, as there are athletes, bodybuilders and people who want to lose weight.
Although the people at the gym have different goals in mind, the environment oftentimes may be scary, especially to people who are not on a sports team. “I feel like you walk in there, and everyone’s an athlete,” Pazzani said. “There's definitely a sense of community, and there are definitely groups that I've noticed that are very friendly, but I'm definitely very self-aware in that gym. It’s like its own microcosm within itself.”
Body image does not only affect women, as all people naturally experience body image issues.
Andrew Parisi, a freshman psychology major, has also been going to the gym since he started attending the College. He typically goes up to three times a week, and his focus is also muscle building.
Initially going to the gym with his friends, he quickly got into a routine, which he feels is a key factor in making the gym more comfortable.
“I totally understand someone who wants to improve themselves,” said Parisi, “and going to the gym by themselves may at first be a scary experience.”
He feels as though the majority of people who go to the gym at the College are not going for others but for their personal satisfaction. “I think people are going for themselves, having a personal goal in mind such as losing weight or gaining muscle,” Parisi said. “I know some people may go for the sole purpose of impressing someone else, but it’s not the majority of people.”
As Parisi reflected on people who go to the gym, he recalled several different groups. “Some people go for the aesthetic, some people go to drop weight, some people do it to put on weight,” Parisi said.
In his personal experience with body image, Parisi believes that going to the gym has helped change his perception and comfort within himself. “Going to the gym allowed me to gain more muscle,” he said. “It feels good to see an improvement. I feel healthier than I was.”
The gym can be a scary place in the beginning, however building a routine and becoming more comfortable with your body will serve as a safety net against the possible threats of judgment.
Although body image continues to be viewed with a negative outlook, it can be made positive by becoming more comfortable with yourself. For many, this can be obtained by going to the gym.
