Nowadays, many people are worried with their looks and how they dress because they feel obligated to have a certain body or dress in a certain way. They are always concerned with pressure of having a “perfect” body, in the way that the society wants them to.
They have the desire to look like the models in the magazine. The main problem is that people are so determined to look like models, that they don’t even care about the consequences, and many times those consequences are eating disorders. According to ANAD research, an estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime. Research suggests that about 1 percent of female adolescents have anorexia caused by the media.
This low self esteem comes from a very early age, according to ANAD statistics, 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat. This is very concerning, because kids at this age shouldn’t be worried about how much they weigh, those kids need to be healthy no matter how much they weight.
There is a immense amount of pressure on teenagers with how they are supposed to look, because all of the models are skinny and very pretty in photo shoots, the girls want to be like that too. But what they don’t realize is that most of those pictures had been worked on photoshop to look that way. No one is perfect in real life, and people need to realize that it’s okay not to look like everybody else, and be “perfect,” it’s a great thing to be different and have a beauty in your own way.
“I think society definitely changes the way that I see myself because girls think they should be perfect and look like a Victoria’s Secret model,” said sophomore Kaci Cooner.
When asked what he felt like when looking at the mirror, junior Thane Henderson answered “I feel hot, because why not feel good with yourself? You got to be confident with what you have, confidence is key.”
Low confidence and body image problems are often seen as a problem just for woman, but according to a ANAD research, it is estimated that 10-15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. Man also struggle with their body image sometimes not be as much as girls but it’s also a concern.