April 18, 2008
Massage
Perfectionism is sweeping the campuses, and the deans, of all people, are worried.
Far from being shocked, the dean of student affairs at one college supported the women’s group that came up with a campaign of posters showing naked undergraduates from the neck down in all their short, tall, thin, not-so-thin, fit and unfit, anonymous, unairbrushed glory. Anything, they said, to stop students from worrying so much about body image instead of grades and careers.
College officials are telling students to get off the treadmill. Go for a walk, go surfing. Read a novel just for pleasure. Eat ice cream. Hang out with the knitting club. Find your passion. Follow your bliss.
All of this reflects the ever-increasing attention colleges across the country are giving to undergraduates’ personal growth and emotional well-being. There are now even free massages and dogs to cuddle in exam seasons, biofeedback workshops, and therapists available just to help students work through their first C.
We didn’t have those posters when I was an undergraduate. All we had was our imaginations, where some of the bodies were always perfect. But I do remember very well my first C. I was so grateful finally to make one, that I even offered the prof a massage.
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