Educated girls get cellulite

Educated girls tie their hair back in glossy ponytails. They drink tea and eat tofu. They have older boyfriends and read French literature. They are into Asian culture and frozen yoghurt. And they have cellulite.

Let’s face it, a large part of education revolves around sitting on your bum all day long. I’m not saying cellulite is the price every girl has to pay for her education. There are many opportunities to get moving and do your circulation a favour. However, for some, the damage definitely seems to be done.

Of course, all sorts of factors come into play before someone gets cellulite. Emotional drama, stress, smoking and food habits all play a role. But studying seems to deliver the final blow. BAM! Gotcha! And it’s always the innocent, goody-goodies who like staying in, who end up getting the worst of it.

Perhaps I should be slightly more specific and narrow down the kind of female student I’m talking about. She’s the one who is willing to sacrifice a lot for her studies or her social life. The kind who pulls all-nighters and uses caffeine and sugar to sustain her. She’s might be mentally unstable or going through a rough period in her life.  She might be filling up on alcohol and getting very little sleep. Of course, you could argue that what I’m sketching here is the portrait of a typical female student…

 In any case, she’s not really taking care of herself and she doesn’t seem to care just yet.

How does some of this relate to a university education? Well, studying is fun, but after a few hours, you need some distraction. Said distraction easily comes in the form of a twix bar or a sticky chocolate brownie. After all, chocolate is a girl’s best friend (How could Marylin be so wrong?). Soon, sitting and eating become your two main activities, which makes you more likely to rely on sugar highs. After soothing whatever it was that was screaming for pleasure (your sexual frustration, boredom, fatigue or moodiness), you feel fit to continue.

It’s an interesting paradox: highly intelligent women who stand up for themselves, who guiltily indulge in their childish tastes (for hot chocolate with marshmallows). Will these students grow up to be the kind of women who own a massive sterile kitchen stocked with organic produce only? Who knows?

Final note: girls, I criticize you not. Life is for living, not for pointless preservation. However, a bit of care and moderation can’t hurt.