The Freshmen Fifteen is Nothing Compared to these Freshmen Customs

It seems that the rite of passage for college freshmen is to indulge in their unlimited meal plan and gain the freshman fifteen.   But the freshman fifteen is nothing compared to the freshman customs women had to follow in the 1950s. The freshmen customs were a set of rules that freshmen had to follow for a period of time throughout the first semester. These rules consisted of wearing ridiculous hats called dinks, not being allowed to walk on the grass, running errands for upperclassmen, not being allowed to wear makeup, and following many more humiliating rules. Looking at these rules, I wondered, if I were going to college in the 1950s would I have been able to follow them?

Researching these rules allowed me to really imagine what it would be like to be a woman attending college in the 1950s. It gave me a glimpse into the life of a co-ed freshman. The rules are tangible, and if I wanted to I could try to follow them for one month. Although I probably won’t try to replicate these customs, they will be displayed in my digital project. I hope that my audience will be able to picture themselves in these women’s shoes in the same way I have been able to, and appreciate the culture of a different time and how far women have come.