Do You Think There’s more pressure on Black Teens?? | Teen Ink

Do You Think There’s more pressure on Black Teens??

January 16, 2011
By hcausey BRONZE, Aurora, Colorado
hcausey BRONZE, Aurora, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Have you every watched TV and said “wow” that black girl is really pretty, who does her make up? How about, she’s really skinny, what does she eat? Well I have…


I’m a black 14 year old girl, about 5’4 and I wear a size 0. People come up to me all the time and say wow you’re really pretty, I smile and say thank you but inside I say how can they think that, I have acne all over my face and my butt is huge.


I’m a black 14 year old girl, about 5’4 and I wear a size 0. People come up to me all the time and say “man your skinny, I wish I had your body.” I just laugh and say thank you. On the inside I say I’m fat, I look like a whale look at all those other girls on television with perfect bodies. Then I have to say to my self…there’s no such thing as perfect.


I’m a black 14 year old girl, about 5’4 and I wear a size 0. I look at my self in the mirror and say wow may be I am as pretty as they say, may be I am as skinny as they say.


Thirteen out of fifteen students say they feel more pressure is being put on black teens more so then white teens with all the new television shows and music videos being made.


There’s so much pressure on black teens today! You look every where and there are people on television that are so pretty you can’t even imagine and you watch music videos and the dancers have these perfect bodies. You just wander what kind of pressure there girls are under. How do they eat, do they even eat at all? Do they have so little self confidence that they have to pile loads of make up on just to look good?


Black teens get talked about as much as a turkey on thanksgiving. I was once told black people are expected to fail. I was so mad I just wandered why, why of all people and races are black people targeted and expected to fail! It’s because of the way were portrayed on television. We act like we have no brain, like being dumb is cool. As if the only thing the world wants to see is a pretty face and nice body…if that’s what you think then you’ll be in for a rude awakening.


One day I was watching television and I saw this girl and she was just the prettiest girl I had ever seen and she literally had the perfect body! She had gorgeous eyes and the cutest clothes and shoes and had all the guys you could imagine and I said I want to be like her. I could just see it now…walking down the school hallway in the coolest shoes and cutest clothes may be even the prettiest girl in school. I would have all the guys. Then I look back into reality and say that’s a lot of pressure for one 14 year old black girl. It all goes back to that one girl on the television and how she influenced me to try and be perfect and how I put loads of pressure on my self to look just right. For what, I don’ even know! That’s the words part, were in all kinds of pressure to be perfect and perfects not even possible.



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