Your mother, your sister, your brother, your teacher, your mailman. Four out of ten individuals have either personally experienced an eating disorder or know someone who has.

Although these are just mere numbers, they can be traced back to each and every person. Incognito, scared, alone, and most importantly in need of help.

It has become common for people to hide behind social media and convey their so-called “happiness”, while simultaneously tearing at the seams feeling absolutely empty and worthless. From the Barbie we are handed in our young years, to the makeup we are told to use in order to conceal our flaws, gender stereotypes and expectations are ever consuming and exhausting.

Over 50% of teenagers have or are using restrictive measures to lose weight and personally, as someone in high school, this isn’t too hard to believe.

What goes into trying to uphold these expectations, and how do women maintain the image that society expects from them?

How do we, together, breach the evident gap between reality and impossibility while creating a society where every race, religion, and size are truly equal? A place where your jean size doesn’t define your worth and the model you see in magazines parallels a realistic image with obtainable qualities and encouraging reinforcement.

The world around us is beginning to change with events such as the women’s march spanning across the nation and protesting for women’s rights, movements such as TIME’S UP, a new selection of size inclusive Barbies, as well as popular stores such as CVS stating that they will no longer sell magazines with retouched covers.

What is to come in the future is unknown, but one can only hope society will become more accepting of a natural woman