Don't Conform

“Dress like this!” “Eat this, not that!” “Do your hair this way!” Numerous demands such as these that the society and media press upon teenage girls cause them to turn to many destructive habits and actions. Seeing the pressure on teenage girls is one thing, but experiencing and living through it is another. As a sixteen year old girl, I have felt the pressure to dress, look, and eat a certain way daily. It took me years to begin to understand that I shouldn’t let society transform me into something I’m not and that I should rather stay true to myself and what I feel comfortable doing. However, not every girl has arrived at this confusion. Many believe that a thin, tall, blonde hair, blue-eyed girl is the ideal way to look, and they begin to do whatever it takes to achieve that mold.

     Size and weight are two of the most common struggles teenage girls face. Just standing in line at the grocery store, you can see numerous magazines claiming ways to drop twenty pounds in two weeks. Though these have the intentions of encouraging a healthy lifestyle, more often than not they are misinterpreted as another pressure to be skinny. Some of these issues are quite serious, and can lead to anorexia and other eating disorders (“Girls vs. Media”). Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person chooses to starve in order to lose weight. In addition, it is also a “psychiatric disorder with anywhere from 6-20% of those who are diagnosed with the disorder eventually [die] from related causes” (Mukerjee). 

      With trying to become the “ideal” girl comes insurmountable loads of stress. Though different people deal with stress in different ways, it may eventually turn into self-harm, an issue that too many teenage girls deal with. “Self-injury is an unhealthy and dangerous act and can leave scars, both physically and emotionally” (“Teens, Cutting, and Self-Injury”). Self-injury includes a variety of attacks on the body such as cutting, scratching, hitting, bruising, biting, and pulling out hair. These actions are most commonly done in order to relieve tension (“Teens, Cutting, and Self-Injury”). For many teens, self-harm becomes a habit that they turn to during times of distress. I know several girls at my school that look perfectly fine on the outside, but they inflict self-harm because they feel useless and unwanted.

     Finally, the way some teenage girls escape the pressure to conform to the media’s standard is through suicide. “Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to24-year-olds, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention…It is also thought that at least 25 attempts are made for every completed teen suicide” (“About Teen Suicide”). Research has also found that girls attempt suicide twice as much as boys, and they usually try by overdosing on drugs or self-harm. When girls feel like that cannot reach society’s standard, these suicidal thoughts begin to creep into their minds. Society tends to look down upon girls that “don’t fit in” with their standards, and in turn that leads girls to think they are invaluable and unwanted. Though there are several other reasons why teens may attempt or even commit suicide, I know from personal experience that this peer pressure adds to their struggles.

     So, are we going to let these girls continue to spiral downwards and let these destructive actions get even worse? Hopefully no! Even though the media is a big feat that cannot change overnight, communities are an easy place to reach out to teenage girls and invest in their lives. Women who may have battled with sort of the same things and other teenage girls that choose not to conform have the opportunity to pour into their lives. I believe that when a real change in a community is made, the doors to everywhere else begin to open. Whether it’s a foundation that has already been started or whether you come in contact with teenage girls regularly, what are you going to do to help teenage girls overcome these issues and become successful women?