Rejected by Society | Teen Ink

Rejected by Society

February 20, 2012
By lio9999 BRONZE, Lewisville, Texas
lio9999 BRONZE, Lewisville, Texas
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

What does our society consider attractive? Tall, thin, colored eyes? What if you don't look like this? As we look in the mirror we can’t help but want to compare ourselves with celebrates, models, or any others with this characteristics. Teens struggle for a false body image leads to self-destructive characteristics.
“Fashion magazines don’t care about teen body image, or they would provide more images of women and men with healthy bodies. Instead the magazines make it no secret that our society is obsessed with thinness.”(Category) As teens are watching TV, or read magazines, they are being promoted with an unhealthy body image. Teens are not aware that these model/celebrates are 25% thinner than an average women. ”Many other factors like (Media images of skinny girls and bulked-up guys) can affect a person’s body image too.”(Body) By media promoting these body images teens are being influenced, almost brainwashed to look like them. They are being thought that being like this is a ticket to being accepted by society. They are promoting that being different is wrong, or not well seen.

Media is not only to blame. Society as a whole is causing the problem by having low tolerance for being different, unique even. We are pushing teens to force themselves to a “standard appearance” and making them feel unaccepted when not following it. “Roughly 75 percent of girls as young as 9 years old have dieted from two to five times in a given year.”(Category)
“A person who has high self-esteem will make friends easily, is more in control of his or her behavior, and will enjoy life more.”(Body) After being shown that self-acceptance is not common, teens then developed a low self-esteem. It becomes a natural reaction to want to be accepted and they put themselves down for not looking a certain way. Teens that have issues with body image are not only struggling with low self-esteem but their health is in jeopardy also. Even though it may be difficult to change their body image teens are driven as far as eating disorders like: Anorexia, and Bulimia to feel “attractive”.
Teens struggle for a false body image leads to self-destructive characteristics. How can I help?? We can’t change the way society thinks but the way we think about our-self is a big progress. Be a role-model. Love the way you are. Take the first step to accept your body. It won’t be easy, but know and understand that apart from what anyone thinks you are beautiful and that we are all different for a reason.


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