“Why won’t the Tiff’s bus pick us up at Dowling? #USTGirlProblems”

“Sorry I can’t, I have to nanny #USTGirlProblems”

“My biggest decision today was choosing between Chipotle and Noodles #express #USTGirlProblems”

“Just woke up earlier for game day than I have all semester for classes #TommieJohnnie #USTGirlProblems”

I’m coming clean. I, Anne Gaslin, am one of the faces behind the Twitter account @USTGirlProblems.

This might not be an accomplishment to brag about, but at the time, my roommate Lauren Truong and I found ourselves to be pretty hilarious. Looking back, it still is; I remember sitting in our house sophomore year coming up with these tweets and laughing our heads off. Some of the underclassmen now might not know about the account, but I’m pretty confident that most seniors and probably a lot of juniors know all about #USTGirlProblems.

Lauren and I used to catch each other complaining about stuff and say how it was “such a St. Thomas girl problem.” The fact that there was no tunnel from Dowling to Murray to get dinner at the old cafeteria or the fact that our IDs needed to be checked to get into Brady Hall and see our friends were just a few of our cheesy inside jokes.

It’s a miracle we can still access the account. We have no idea what the fake email address is, and we definitely don’t remember the password. Somehow even after going through a bunch of phones since @USTGirlProblems started, I’m still logged into the account. We don’t really use it anymore, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from continuing to tweet their #USTGirlProblems at us anyway.

The “first world problems” phrase is what inspired us to make a Twitter account with all of our lame and sarcastic complaints in the first place. Next thing we knew, the account had more than 1,000 followers, and people were tweeting their own #USTGirlProblems at us. We didn’t really expect it to become as popular on campus as it did. Some people at St. Ben’s even copied us and started their own #BennieProblems account. As did some not-so-clever Tommie boys. I think part of the reason this became a “thing” was because people identified with what we were talking about. I don’t necessarily think that’s a good or bad thing—it just is what it is. Our tweets relate to the general reputation of St. Thomas women, whether or not each individual fits that mold.

So, why did we think it was OK to point out these negative stereotypes? All of the things we tweeted about were things we noticed in our lives or in others on campus—that means whether it’s us or our peers, these ideas are legitimately applicable to Tommie women. In general, each of us individually represents Tommie women, but not necessarily as a whole. Using humor to highlight the stereotypes goes to show that we acknowledge their existence, but we don’t take them seriously. They’re not traits that all St. Thomas women pride themselves on.

The popularity in itself shows that even though we were joking around, the stereotypes (albeit exaggerated in the tweets) really do exist within our student body.

The attire is one thing: Lululemon leggings, Ugg boots, Northface fleece jackets and a full face of makeup to class. The complaints of “long walks to classes” when in reality, our campus is miniscule compared to many universities. The jokes of our social lives revolving around fake IDs. Tommie Johnnie games being the pinnacle of our drinking careers. The general idea of “daddy’s money.” Diets based solely on Noodles and Chipotle. Public Safety jokes. Dowling beach. Accidentally wearing purple on Tommie Tuesdays. It’s all there.

Of course, we got some flack for reinforcing the stereotypes that St. Thomas probably would love to distance itself from, but I don’t think that’s necessarily all that we did. The fact that we were making light of these not-so-positive stereotypes shows that not all of us believe in them or take them seriously. We don’t see ourselves as the typical “Tommie girl” in her Uggs and leggings and Northface jacket strutting through campus (but wait, that is oftentimes my uniform in the winter … What? It’s comfortable).

#USTGirlProblems was all fun and games, but if my four years here have taught me anything, it’s that St. Thomas women are so much more than the stereotypes we’re stuck with. I’ve met some of the smartest and most hard working women I’ve ever known here. We’re a driven bunch, and we take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that come with being a Tommie. We transcend our stereotypes.

We’re just poking fun at ourselves with all of these #USTGirlProblems. Because hey, if you can’t make fun of yourself, aren’t you taking life a little too seriously?

You know you love me.

XOXO,

USTGirlProblems

Anne Gaslin can be reached at gasl8257@stthomas.edu.