By Lina Castillon
Remember when you were younger and there was no expectations for how you were "supposed" to look and no pressure to look a certain way. As we got older, society has molded us into thinking that there was one specific "perfect body" and that if you didn't look that way, you weren't considered beautiful.
Social media has been a big cause for teenage girls feeling like they're not enough. I, myself, have felt and still feel like I need to look a certain way to be considered beautiful. This has really affected my life and I can't imagine how it's affected, other girls.
According to the Telegraph Group, "Many photos of social media like Instagram have photoshopped photos which create an image for young people and how they think of themselves."
There are many influencers on social media promoting their followers and fans to be happy within themselves yet behind the screens, they have insecurities too.
Social Media sucks us into believing that as we scroll, there's a new body that we have ti lean towards looking.
A girl we'll refer to as "Annie", due to her wanting o be anonymous, said "I overthink a lot of things regarding my physical appearance. It's hard to feel good about myself when I'm constantly surrounded by things that remind me that I don't have the ideal body or appearance"
Nowadays, girls and women like Annie are being pulled into the idea that they need to look a certain way to be considered beautiful in this society.
According to Active Interest Media, "Body image issues can lead to eating disorders like Anorexia or Bulimia."
Anorexia is a disorder where a person eats little food or sometimes none due to wanting to lose weight or not wanting to gain weight.
Bulimia, on the other hand, is when a person eats large amounts of food in a short period of time and then purge to get rid of all that food.
Many teens trying to lose weight believe that if they stop eating it will help them lose weight faster and the same with gaining weight. This could lead to serious disorders and habits that will, later on, be hard to get out of.
"Some guys and girls have told me I have no figure which has stayed in my mind and has been a constant reminder," said Annie.
School is another thing that has been a big effect on teen girls thinking they aren't good enough.
According to Scholastic Inc., "Most girls at school think they're too fat, so they're always dieting and trying to lose weight."
I felt that school plays a big part in teen girls feeling like they don't reach society's standards because there are so many people to judge or be judged by. Almost everyone in high school is going through something and that causes them to be mad at the world at times.
This may lead to them to take out their anger on others by hurting them. This is where girls' low self-esteem comes in.
A variety of girls can't find happiness within themselves so they take out their anger on other girls thinking that they'll end up feeling better by not being alone in feeling this way.
On a recent survey, I made for girls at YB to take, 73% out of 35 girls in Yerba Buena High School struggle with low self-esteem regarding their physical appearance.
I believe this also ties into guys calling out girls for their physical features. This makes girls feel as if they need to have what those girls have in order to be noticed by a male.
"When I was younger I didn't really care about my physical appearance. It wasn't my top priority and now it seems to be everyone's," said Annie.
When we were younger our appearance wasn't our biggest problem.
Now it has become such a prime concern for most females in high school like Annie and I.
Teen girls in high school sometimes feel the need to change due to most males only looking at girls for their physical features. Most girls in high school aren't seen for their beautiful personality and that's what most teens lack of.
High school can already be stressful as it is for teen girls, so why make it harder by making us feel less than what we are?
Remember when you were younger and there was no expectations for how you were "supposed" to look and no pressure to look a certain way. As we got older, society has molded us into thinking that there was one specific "perfect body" and that if you didn't look that way, you weren't considered beautiful.
Social media has been a big cause for teenage girls feeling like they're not enough. I, myself, have felt and still feel like I need to look a certain way to be considered beautiful. This has really affected my life and I can't imagine how it's affected, other girls.
According to the Telegraph Group, "Many photos of social media like Instagram have photoshopped photos which create an image for young people and how they think of themselves."
There are many influencers on social media promoting their followers and fans to be happy within themselves yet behind the screens, they have insecurities too.
Social Media sucks us into believing that as we scroll, there's a new body that we have ti lean towards looking.
A girl we'll refer to as "Annie", due to her wanting o be anonymous, said "I overthink a lot of things regarding my physical appearance. It's hard to feel good about myself when I'm constantly surrounded by things that remind me that I don't have the ideal body or appearance"
Nowadays, girls and women like Annie are being pulled into the idea that they need to look a certain way to be considered beautiful in this society.
According to Active Interest Media, "Body image issues can lead to eating disorders like Anorexia or Bulimia."
Anorexia is a disorder where a person eats little food or sometimes none due to wanting to lose weight or not wanting to gain weight.
Bulimia, on the other hand, is when a person eats large amounts of food in a short period of time and then purge to get rid of all that food.
Many teens trying to lose weight believe that if they stop eating it will help them lose weight faster and the same with gaining weight. This could lead to serious disorders and habits that will, later on, be hard to get out of.
"Some guys and girls have told me I have no figure which has stayed in my mind and has been a constant reminder," said Annie.
School is another thing that has been a big effect on teen girls thinking they aren't good enough.
According to Scholastic Inc., "Most girls at school think they're too fat, so they're always dieting and trying to lose weight."
I felt that school plays a big part in teen girls feeling like they don't reach society's standards because there are so many people to judge or be judged by. Almost everyone in high school is going through something and that causes them to be mad at the world at times.
This may lead to them to take out their anger on others by hurting them. This is where girls' low self-esteem comes in.
A variety of girls can't find happiness within themselves so they take out their anger on other girls thinking that they'll end up feeling better by not being alone in feeling this way.
On a recent survey, I made for girls at YB to take, 73% out of 35 girls in Yerba Buena High School struggle with low self-esteem regarding their physical appearance.
I believe this also ties into guys calling out girls for their physical features. This makes girls feel as if they need to have what those girls have in order to be noticed by a male.
"When I was younger I didn't really care about my physical appearance. It wasn't my top priority and now it seems to be everyone's," said Annie.
When we were younger our appearance wasn't our biggest problem.
Now it has become such a prime concern for most females in high school like Annie and I.
Teen girls in high school sometimes feel the need to change due to most males only looking at girls for their physical features. Most girls in high school aren't seen for their beautiful personality and that's what most teens lack of.
High school can already be stressful as it is for teen girls, so why make it harder by making us feel less than what we are?