As a teen girl in 2020, all of my friends and I have struggled with body image. The pressure on girls to have ‘perfect’ bodies has affected us greatly whether it be our mental health, grades, or social life. The average girl today also has problems with body image. Magazines, commercials, and social media are all things that can display bodies that can be unrealistic. This can lead to many problems in young girls' lives. In today's society, girls are too highly pressured to have the ‘perfect’ bodies. 

A large percent of adolescent girls fear getting fat. In the article, “Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?” by Katherine Schulten, the author states, “City officials cited evidence in The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing and elsewhere that more than 80 percent of 10-year-old girls are afraid of being fat, that girls’ self-esteem drops at age 12 and does not improve until 20, and that that is tied to negative body image” (Schulten). Children should not be worried about their looks and body image at such an innocent time in their life. At a young age, girls should be making friends and having fun. Today’s society puts so much pressure on girls to look perfect and that can cause young girls to miss out on an important part of their childhood. 

Social media is a leading factor in why teen girls develop a negative body image. “Across all four countries, participants indicated that the media are the top source of body image pressure for women, which the authors say demonstrates the ubiquity and power of media messages that promote the thin ideal.” (“Why Do Women Feel Pressure to Be Thin?”) All media affects the way young girls feel about themselves. Seeing someone who is praised on social media solely for being thin can lead girls to feel like they need to look the same way. This also decreases confidence levels and hurts self esteem. The media needs to show a bigger variety of people that can represent all kinds of people. If the media showed a bigger variety of people, it would allow young girls to be able to look up to people who look like them. 

Negative body images can lead to harmful habits. “A negative body image can harm girls' nutrition, causing them to skip meals or take diet pills. Some girls might try to control their weight by smoking or change their appearance by buying beauty products or getting cosmetic surgery.”(“Healthy Body Image: Tips for Guiding Girls”) The effects of a negative body image in young girls can lead to very harmful behavior. Problems like eating disorders, diet pills, and body dysmorphia can lead to other very serious problems also. Adolescent girls should not feel the need  to stress over the way they look.

Although young girls are pressured to live up to today’s beauty standards, some would disagree. Magazines and ads are showing more and more progress by being more inclusive. This can be very helpful to people of all ages. This does not mean that the pressure to look perfect is gone. Girls still face the pressure to have perfect bodies and we can see this through most media sources. 

Young girls in today’s society face pressure to look perfect. Many young girls fear not fitting into the typical standards. Social media plays a large part in girls who aren't confident in the way they look. This leads to negative effects that can be very harmful and in some cases devastating. Instead of having a set beauty standard, we should teach everyone to love who they are no matter what.

Works Cited 

“Healthy Body Image: Tips for Guiding Girls.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 15 Sept. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/healthy-body-image/art-20044668. 

Pogored. “Why Do Women Feel Pressure to Be Thin? Study Examines Internalization of Appearance Ideals Across Cultures.” Consult QD, Consult QD, 13 Sept. 2018, consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-women-feel-pressure-to-be-thin-study-examines-internalization-of-appearance-ideals-across-cultures/. 

Schulten, Katherine. “Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have 'Perfect' Bodies?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Oct. 2013, learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/is-there-too-much-pressure-on-girls-to-have-perfect-bodies/.