7 Body Image Issues Girls Face ...

As far as body image issues go, weight is probably the most prominent one. Girls are taught from a very young age that they are supposed to be skinny. Eating disorders have become incredibly common because girls of all ages feel the need to fit society’s idea of beauty. There are 7 and 8 year olds across the country that are dieting and that is just ridiculous. I don’t mean they are eating fruits and vegetables, all children SHOULD be doing that. These kids are going on (or being put on) fad diets. Kids need a lot of nutrients when they are growing or else they won’t develop correctly. I just wish everyone would realize that having a little meat on your bones doesn’t make you unattractive. If you are at an unhealthy weight, then yes, you should eat better and exercise more to become a healthier human being, but you shouldn’t be shamed into doing so.

I have a friend who started measuring her bust with a tape measure every day when she was 13. This apparently isn’t uncommon. She wanted her chest to get bigger and would actually stress out about the fact that her cup size was “small.” This is also the case with women who have larger breasts. I wish mine were smaller, as do a lot of women. The thing is, there isn’t a “norm” for breast size. Some men like them big, some like them small. Some women prefer theirs to be large, but I hate the fact that I have to buy shirts a size bigger than I need just so my chest can fit into them. The concern over breast size has escalated to the point where women seek out plastic surgery to make their chest the size they deem “perfect.” I wish that we were all happier with the sizes we are.

This is the newest body image issue to cause a stir. It’s always been around, but lately it’s been talked about far more than it used to be. For whatever reason, women are extremely concerned about having a gap between their thighs when their feet are together. Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. I don’t think anyone goes around staring at your crotch, so who’s even going to notice? But for those who are upset that they don’t have the sought after gap, it’s a huge deal. I recently read an interview with a teenager recovering from anorexia and when they asked her if she thinks she will relapse, her response was that every time she looks in the mirror and sees that her thigh gap is getting smaller, she feels an overwhelming urge to return to her old ways. I really think in the grand scheme of things, having a little gap between your legs isn’t the most important thing to be concerned about. It’s just one more thing to push on girls to make them feel bad about themselves.

As a teenager I had the worst acne ever. I had to be medicated and it was just awful. I still periodically get breakouts and my skin scars horribly from any minor cut (even paper cuts). Having clear skin is definitely something that all women worry about. No one wants a giant pimple on their face for their first day of school, prom or before that big business meeting. There is a never ending supply of products that can be used to treat all sorts of skin issues, so don’t worry, just find something that works for you. And if you happen to have a bad breakout, a giant pimple or some other blemish, don’t stress out over it! Every single person in the entire world has had one. We all know what it’s like and no one will think you’re any less attractive because you have a red bump on your face for a few days.

Shows like America’s Next Top Model and a few others really emphasize the fact that you must be tall. I have seen several contestants get kicked off that show purely because of their height. Shorter people wish with all their might to be taller. But a lot of taller people also want to be shorter. It’s one of those “the grass is always greener on the other side” situations. Trust me, the girl in school who is taller than every single one of the boys is wishing she could shrink a few inches so she wasn’t so intimidating to them. I went to school with a girl who was very short and people would ask her ALL the time why she was so short. I couldn’t believe anyone could be so rude! You grow as much or as little as you are intended to and there’s very little you can do to change that so try to learn to accept your height and use it to your advantage. If you’re “too short,” use that to ask the cute guy you have your eye on to grab something for you off the top shelf. If you’re incredibly tall, take part in sports like basketball and be glad you don’t need to stand on a chair to reach things.

Magazines, TV shows and movies almost exclusively feature thin, clear skinned, taller than average girls with large breasts. The impact this has on impressionable young girls is alarming. It isn’t only the younger ladies that find it hard to bear though. Seeing how the media portrays beauty can be incredibly damaging to a woman’s self-esteem at any age. Even on the show Ugly Betty the actress is a gorgeous woman! We need some shows with realistic looking women. Not everyone is skinny (in fact, most people aren’t) and sometimes our faces aren’t as clear as we’d like. This needs to be portrayed in the media.

Peer pressure to look a certain way may actually be worse than the media influence because it is a face to face influence as opposed to something you are simply looking at as an observer. A lot of girls want to be the pretty and popular cheerleader. Girls tend to try to conform to a certain look that they perceive to be attractive. I know that my senior year of high school, 2/3 of the girls were suddenly blonde. I just wish everyone could see their own natural beauty.

The more we strive to look like everyone else, the more common the look will become. When everyone looks the same it’s GOOD to stand out and be yourself! Let your natural beauty shine through. No matter what you think your flaws are, remember everyone else secretly thinks there is something about them they need to change too. What do you think is one of the worst body image issues girls face?