Sips to Fit In
April 12, 2023
Author: Carly Schneider
Editor: Caroline Grin
No matter the location or time of day, I always find myself joining my friends on various coffee shop excursions, shopping for the perfect go-to drink and study spot. I love the unique aura that fills the stores — the music, the variety of people, and the display of pastries and drinks all mesh together to create an inviting and warm experience. Every time, I feel inclined to search the menu for a drink that speaks to my taste buds and order it. And, every time, I hate it.
The internal cringe when I taste coffee is never surprising and, as a result, I often become angry with myself for two reasons: first, I wonder why I even indulged in such a purchase when I know the end result; and second, I mentally scold myself for simply being unable to relish in the drink, as I so badly want to enjoy the taste. It’s this latter reason that helped me realize that my desire to drink coffee is not to expand my palate but rather a reflection of my desire to fit in.
To me, carrying a coffee throughout campus wordlessly expresses to passersby, “Yes, I do in fact work so hard that I need a large coffee with me at all times to survive the day.” It symbolizes the all-nighters to finish assignments and the deep focus while studying for an exam — it creates the illusion of being a perfectly productive student for all hours of the day. As a result, I feel confined to this lifestyle in order to fit in and be a “typical” college student. Granted, I have recently found myself ordering the brown sugar shaken espresso at Starbucks and actually savoring every sip; but yet, to me, coffee still epitomizes the pressures to create a heightened persona of the quintessential undergrad.
Another example of a drink that carries this stereotype on its shoulders is a fairly common one: alcohol. Whether you’ve experienced it yourself or semi-listened to your parent’s lectures, there is always an element of social pressure that revolves around alcohol. It could be about simply taking a sip or drinking more than what’s currently in your cup. College explicitly places an emphasis on pairing alcohol with social acceptance — a VIP entrance into the college scene, no doubt causing great levels of pressure to indulge in the action.
Now, I’m not telling you to refrain from drinking, nor am I trying to criticize your favorite caffeinated concoction. Drinking alcohol can be fun — especially in the work-hard, play-hard lifestyle that defines Michigan. In moderation, alcohol really is a way to relieve oneself of any external burdens. As for coffee, it sometimes really is the perfect solution to jump start my mornings. My point is that these drinks in and of themselves create their own intense pressures to conform to the typical college lifestyle and fit in with peers. None of us are new to the idea that college is full of pressures, and we sometimes feel forced to conform by doing things we may not particularly care to do at that moment. However, I encourage you to try and remain cognizant of the ways in which you might be subconsciously engaging in activities in an effort to blend in and form a standardized persona. After all, this feeling can boil all the way down to the liquids you choose to put in your cup.
