When you look into a mirror, do you see a body and face you’re confident about, or do you see things about yourself you want to change? According to Park Nicollet Melrose Center, “Approximately 80% of U.S  young women don’t like how they look.” Why is that you wonder? There is a variety of reasons that cause teen girls and young women to feel self conscious such as hormonal changes and the need to fit in. However the primary causes of body dissatisfaction is the unrealistic image society promotes through magazines and social media. As entertaining as those platforms may be, they also can be damaging to young women’s self esteem. Today I’d like to inform you on how these types of media promotes an unhealthy message to teen girls, the way people can easily become obsessed with getting “likes” and others’ approval, and the heartbreaking truth that too frequently occurs when these young women can’t achieve the “perfect look.” 

First, let’s take a look on how these media platforms influence teen girls. Magazines are a popular type of entertainment that helps keep up with the latest trends and hottest topics on how to be “cool” and “fit in.” Models and celebrities are promoting a body image that many teenage girls desire, and the only problem is that… it’s just not real. Author of “Children, Teens, Families, and Mass Media: The Millennial Generation,” Rose M. Kundanis states that, “Magazines, seem to have the strongest relationship to eating disorders.” The British Medical Association also reported, “ Advertising, in particular, may influence young people’s perception of fashion and beauty and attitudes towards food. Young women may compare themselves to extremely thin models, working in the fashion industry or advertising products, and perceive themselves as fat in comparison, rather than healthy and attractive.” It’s clear to see by these statistics media does play a major role how girls perceives themselves. 

Now, I’d like to elaborate on the negative emphasis social media has on body image. Social media, by definition is “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social network.” This platform of media has grown tremendously and become a significant part of this generation’s culture. Teen girls and young women spend countless amount of time editing and filtering to look “picture perfect.” You ask yourself why, well in this day in age, many young girls are constantly seeking approval from their peers. An article by CNN Health explains, “ Instagram is the most detrimental social networking app for young people’s mental health. Instagram draws young women to compare themselves against unrealistic, largely curated, filtered and Photoshopped versions of reality.” These reports give us a true picture of how easily just one platform of social media can be detrimental to the self-esteem of others. In addition the past statement, NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) gives us an actual viewpoint from teen girls. Here are some examples of how young teens feel about the negative things that happen on social media, Grace, 17 says, “It’s important to think about the sexualization of things. People post or send sexual pictures and objectify themselves.” Daniella, 18 says, “It’s only the ‘standard beauty’ who gets likes. I feel like to be the hot girl, you have to be like that, or wear your shirt to low and your skirt too high.” These are just two of the opinions that give a clear picture of how social media can be just another form of peer pressure that makes young women feel like if they don’t sexualize themselves, they won’t be accepted.

All of these factors put such a heavy weight on young women who are just starting to truly find themselves, and it’s really hard to find yourself if you’re trying to become someone else. The most upsetting reality of all, is that when these girls can’t achieve these unhealthy and unrealistic images, many of them fall victim to eating disorders, self harming, or even suicide. huffpost.com states, “Media is a risk factor for the development of eating disorders. Individuals begin to constantly compare themselves to thin models, their peers, as well as famous social media users and begin to feel inadequate about their own self image.” Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia can be extremely damaging to the body’s internal organs and cause other health problems. 

The importance of this issue is clear.  We want our young women to be healthy and happy with themselves.  The problem that advertising and social media poses  to our young women, even to our pre-teens is real and we as a society need to find ways to control and lessen this impact on our young women.  So, what can we do?  Parents need to understand that there is a need to be vigilant when it comes to knowing what is going on with their child.  Watch for signs that are fairly evident when the child or young woman is being influenced by these social pressures.  Talk with the child and find out what they are thinking.  Teachers and schools could also influence children by making information available, maybe even a class, about these social pressures and unrealistic goals.  We need to make sure our youth know that this is not “real” and it is a fact that no one is perfect, not even the models or movie stars.  We also need to make them see that trying to achieve what is conceived to be visual perfection is a very dangerous thing.  In short, we need to “talk” to our young women and be involved in their growth and development, not just leave them to their own devices.