In a new commercial, Adam Devine pitches Best Buy’s 6th Gen Core Processor laptop. Devine bursts into a college dorm room, slaps food from a young man’s hand and says, “I did that for your core, the Freshman 15 is real.” Best Buy’s description of the ad explains, “While the Freshman 15 may be hazardous to your core, this 2-in-1 laptop’s 6th Gen Core Processor from Intel is anything but. It’s so amazingly fast, it’s like your laptop got really into CrossFit.”
While I can appreciate the humor in the ad (Adam Devine is a funny guy!), taking a critical look at the media is an important exercise – almost like CrossFit for your brain. Best Buy’s ad highlights a common misconception: the Freshman 15. The continued use of the phrase “Freshman 15” only adds to the stigma of weight gain, and can be harmful for young adults. Ads like Best Buy’s place weight and physical appearance as a primary concern for students, and lead young adults to associate gaining weight with feelings of fear and failure.
As a college student, many young men and women can experience feelings of increased pressure and stress. These feelings, compounded with the other stresses of being in a new environment, may trigger mental health problems in some young adults, like disordered eating. The Healthy Bodies Survey found that between the years of 2013-2015, 40% of students feared gaining the Freshman 15, 55% were concerned about their weight, 65% were concerned about their body shape and 61% reported limiting their food intake.
And according to the National Eating Disorders Association’s Collegiate Survey Project, a potential 4.4–5.9% of teens enter college with a pre-existing, untreated eating disorder. With the rise of disordered eating on college campuses, we must reevaluate what messages are being sent to at-risk groups.
The Freshman 15 is a media myth that has serious repercussions. Best Buy’s ad is just one example of how the mass media can shame and bully their audiences into believing inaccurate expressions. For freshmen entering college, there are so many wonderful, new and positive things to think about. Weight gain should not be one of them.
Palmer Hipp is studying in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia. She hopes to obtain a MSW, aspiring to become an activist for social justice issues.
