Love Yourself

Lately I have been facing the topic of body image for teenage girls. Many girls believe that they need to have the perfect body to be happy and accepted. I am here to say that’s not true. We are all amazing the way we are.

There is so much pressure from society for girls to have skinny bodies, perfect faces and the best clothes. It’s not fair to anyone because no girl is completely perfect. The models that have those super skinny bodies are actually all photo-shopped. No one can live up to the standards that society has created but girls make themselves sick trying.

Girls are starving themselves and going on crash diets just to lose the excess weight they think they have. It’s crazy to think these perfectly healthy, beautiful girls think they have to destroy their bodies to look good. They don’t realize how awful it is for their bodies. Here are some symptoms for just one disorder: anorexia.

• Self-starvation with weight loss

• Intense, persistent fear of gaining weight

• Refusal to eat or highly restrictive eating

• Continuous dieting

• Excessive facial/body hair because of inadequate protein in the diet

• Compulsive exercise

• Abnormal weight loss

• Sensitivity to cold

• Absent or irregular menstruation

• Hair loss

If someone you know seems to fit these symptoms please try to talk to them or get help from an adult. They could be really hurting themselves.

Here are some statistics for eating disorders in men and women:

·         Almost 50% of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression.

·         Up to 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S.

·         Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

I really wish girls and boys would realize how truly amazing they are. They don’t need to torture their bodies just to fit an image that doesn’t exist. I know it is a disorder and a sickness, they can’t help it. We need to help find a way to help these people get treatment and get better. As teens the most we can do is stop bullying girls and just be kind. We should all just accept each other as we are. I’m not saying we can change society completely, but I feel if we do something small to make someone’s day, maybe there will be a ripple effect. We could change someone’s life.

For more information:

http://www.anad.org/