Ladies, when y’all go to the Rec Center to work out, do y’all ever notice how many women are running on the various work out machines on the second level? Do y’all ever wonder why?

After a couple of years of living the college life, I have taken note that the young women (not girls, anymore) around campus have grown more concerned with the way they look once entering college. Every day I see young women, most of who are between the ages of 18 and 20, drinking diet sodas, only eating half of a salad for their meal, and counting their calories.

To me, this is not a happy way to be living. I won’t sit here and act like I don’t do almost the same things, except I don’t drink sodas at all because they’re very bad for you. I love a whole salad topped with something fried, and counting my calories is just a waste of my time. Point being, ladies, is it seems a little over-the-top. We are young, and we should enjoy being young by indulging in life and loving ourselves. It’s great to be healthy, and eating right, along with daily exercise, is never a bad thing. But do we do these things mainly for us?

The majority of young women around campus seem to strive only to impress others. These days, being healthy is not really about being healthy, it’s based upon the fact that our appearances, in one way or another, contribute immensely in our lives. When we begin our college careers, we also begin to think about what our future aspects are going to be; in other words, life-altering decisions.

We consider job opportunities, meaning both part-time for the college play money and salary paying for improving our careers. As we get older we start thinking about how to track down that “one-and-only,” Mr. Perfect. For most women, these are two very important parts of our futures.

Whether we like it or not, companies, especially those in advertising, sales, public relations and fashion, greatly depend on the appearance of whoever is applying for jobs within these industries. How we present ourselves within our work environments is very important. We are critiqued in a major way by our appearance at work: by our management and fellow staff, as well as our clients. So, not only are we expected to do a good job, but we have to look good too.

Boys, on the other hand, are a little less complicated than our careers, but it seems like they add a lot more pressure on us. What is it that most men first look for in a girl? Let’s face it – their looks.

Don’t get me wrong; we do the same thing. If I meet a new guy to date the first thing my roommate asks me is, “Is he cute?” It’s important to men that we take care of ourselves, just like it’s important to us to have attractive guys to date.

Personality obviously plays a big role in finding that significant other, but these days we are judged harshly by whether the cover gives a good preview of the book, if you know what I mean. We cannot deny the fact that if we look good, we attract men easier.

Young women today have so many expectations within our society. It is important to remember that yes, your appearance matters in some of the bigger aspects of your life, but please do not forget that being healthy needs to be important to you – not just the corporation that pays the highest, or the guy you’re trying to date.

My roommate told me that it seems like exercise isn’t about feeling good anymore; it’s only about looking good. We spend so much time worrying about what other people think that we lose ourselves in the thought that we must stay healthy for them instead of us.

No, it’s the other way around. Do it to better you, for you. You, as a woman, have many expectations to uphold, so why not save yourself a worry, and stop stressing about how much prettier that girl is compared to you.

Start considering the fact that you could be the one that other young women around campus are jealous of – because you don’t have a worry in the world, and you look damn good wearing that care-free attitude.

Erin Hudnall is a sophomore majoring in secondary English education.