the reality of being 21 in 2022…

hey loves! its been a little while since i’ve updated y’all so todays blog is for all my 20 something ladies (or anyone who identifies as female). let’s get into the nitty gritty of what it’s like being a 21 year old girl these days! we’re going to dig into the world of school, work, social media, dating, health and more so grab a snack, sit back and enjoy :)

where do I even start… life is kinda crazy, not gonna lie and it hasn’t even started yet if we’re being honest! for anyone who’s new here, hi i’m gabz, a 21 year old social strategy student at the savannah college of art and design. before coming to scad I competed on Team USA at the junior level and decided to explore new adventures during the pandemic which is how I ended up here! despite that, I am just a normal college girl who goes through the same struggles as every other 20 something year old girl, late homework nights, big dreams, juggling school and work, boy troubles, the constant battle of overcoming societies standards on social media, blah, blah, blah… you get the drill.

i’m going to be really open here and tell you that college is not the fantasy that movies and social media portray it as, especially if you’re a crazy person like me and decided it would be a great idea to graduate a year earlier than planned while also working as a part time nanny and trying to be accepted into the tough social media influencer world lol… my day to day typically looks a little something like this: wake up at 6, get ready for class, 8am class, nanny (in fact I am writing this while this little nugget pulls at my pant leg and tries to eat her toes as babies do at 7 months old), 5pm class, homework, procrastinate on tiktok until 1am and then finally sleep. does that look familiar to anyone else? something i’ve learned in the past few months is that balance is KEY. without balance in my life, I think I would have already gone grey at the ripe age of 21. with that being said, throughout my crazy day I try to incorporate things that make me happy such as walking to class on sunny days, journaling, watching my favorite youtuber while I scarf down my dinner, lighting a candle as I get ready in the morning… honestly its the simple things in life that can make such a difference.

now you might be thinking, gabz why don’t you just slow down and enjoy your time as a 21 year old? well… see that would be a fantastic idea but i’m the type of person who can’t stay settled. for 90% of my life, I devoted every second and thought to skating and then as soon as I retired, I realized that I had free bird energy (essentially my way of saying I have ants in my pants and can’t stay in one place for too long). don’t get me wrong, I love it here in Savannah but i’m so ambitious to see the world while I'm young and carefree! my mission is to get my degree early and then fly free for as long as my heart desires before I have to settle into the realities of life. with that dream, of course comes the need to make some money which is why I decided to become a part time nanny and focus my time solely on school and raising travel money.

my big dreams have slightly come in the way of health though. in the past few months since my school schedule has really picked up, I have noticed that my self care regimen has become lower and lower on the totem pole of importance. this has definitely taken a toll on my mental health and body image which I guess isn’t such a great compromise. realistically, most if not all 20 something year olds, female or male, will struggle with body image issues. this is not abnormal and since i’m being completely open with y’all its something I struggle with daily. I have a past with eating disorders and body dysmorphia which has lingered into my adult years but I have learned how to be better with myself despite the urge to pick apart everything I don’t like on a daily basis. I have slowly incorporated small habits such as meditation, occasional hot girl walks, and a consistent skincare routine that have helped me to slowly get back into a healthy routine. it’s difficult juggling all the pressure of good grades along with work and then to top it off, the unrealistic societal beauty standard! this is something that is always in the back of the mind of gen z’ers like me. what is important for all of us to learn is that each of us has a unique beauty, not to sound corny but its true. we aren’t told that enough nowadays and lets be honest no one is perfect! we all are going to have stretch marks and hair where we don’t want it and body odor because WE ARE HUMAN and that is all perfectly normal!

let’s talk a little bit about my job… current and future. as I mentioned, at the moment I am a part time nanny. I’m planning on using the money i’m making from this to travel post graduation. at 21, most of the time we are not thinking about children yet and we’re focused on our careers. I have always dreamed of the day I would become a mom and fanticized that I would marry my high school sweetheart right out of college and have kids by 23. now that I have had the little sneak preview of what having a child would be like, I’ve realized that I literally still am a child in a way. I have so much life to live before getting into the daily routine of changing stinky diapers and cleaning up spit up because although there are the most adorable moments that are ever so worth it, I think I can put off that responsibility for a little longer while I live as my own main character. with that being said, lets talk ultimate dream job. CEO! GIRL BOSS! gosh would I loveeee to be the ceo of my own marketing agency. first it would be a dream to gain industry experience in luxury marketing with Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Vogue etc and then move onto to starting my own agency later in life. I imagine my ideal self living in New York, traveling the world, attending luxurious events such as the Met Gala and New York/Paris fashion week. this might sound cliche and on trend for this generation and yea maybe it is but this is something that fuels my excitement to wake up for school each day and all that matters is that big dreams eventually become reality as long as you work hard enough for them!

alright, let’s talk about boys… ugh :( ladies, you understand what I mean by my simple ugh. dating, let alone talking to boys in 2022 is so ANNOYING! its practically impossible to have a conversation with someone and actually pick up on the vibe. there’s no sign of any romance existing in our options these days if we’re being completely honest. listen, i’m 21 and have never had a boyfriend because I know what I am looking for in a relationship and I won’t settle for just anyone who comes around. I've been told that my standards are too high but seriously!? if we know our worth, why lower our standards for anyone who won’t treat us the way we know we deserve to be treated. reality of the fact is that dating at an art school isn’t like the typical college love story you read in books or see in movies. scad is different because there’s no greek life and the parties aren’t like the ones at other colleges. after passing through high school without a boyfriend, I realized that marrying my high school sweetheart was off the table but then I envisioned going through my years of college wrapped around the arm of my beau. yea… junior year and still nada. the message i’m trying to convey is that its ok to have never experienced a relationship before your 20’s because guess what, you have the rest of your life for that. if you’re in the same situation as me, your 20’s can be a time where you focus on finding yourself and falling in love with that strong, beautiful woman before anyone else enters your girl boss bubble.

anywayyy, hope this helped some of you realize that life does not have to be perfect and yes it is going to be hard but there’s also so many incredible moments that make the dark days worth the while. thanks for reading! talk to y’all soon :)

xo,

gabz