Why does society make it so hard for girls to feel good about themselves? We have to be thin, have shiny hair, straight white teeth. We have to be a certain height and a certain width; we have to look a certain way. Magazines and TV pick and pick and pick until the standards are basically perfection.

This begs the question, why do we go along with it? Are girls afraid they'll be made fun of, or end up alone with tons of cats? Why do they let fashion and stereotypes dictate how they eat and dress?

Every day young women are surrounded by images of perfect, airbrushed, starving girls. I don't know why I feel so incredibly pressured to fit into a certain size jeans or weigh myself every day. I don't know where the pressure comes from, but I feel it too. I suppose I just encourage the problem. That's why I loved "On Socks" in the October issue. It was a beautifully written success story of a girl who is more perfect now that she has accepted her body. It is indescribably encouraging to see that some of us don't have to chase perfection or fit stereotypes. I am learning to accept myself, and I hope that others will too.