Your Peers May Be the Reason For Self Esteem Issues

Negative self esteem has gotten worse throughout the years, so we need to take a stand and change that.

In this post, I would like to ask this question: If the effects of paying attention to the media are so dangerous because of the way we then think of ourselves, why do we keep acknowledging it?

I found out the answer throughout the article I am about to discuss, “Is Social Media Giving Your Teen a Negative Body Image?”. This source is reliable because its from an actual organization that helps kids.

www.glogster.com

Not only does the media affect how young teenagers think of themselves, but their own friends do to.

1. Social Media is a place where girls and boys can post pictures of themselves, and lately, people have been using that as a terrible advantage. People can rate each other on how good looking they are, and some people ask the question to the public if they are pretty or not. Kids keep using the media not stop because asking these questions to others will reassure what they think they look like.
2. According to a study by the Keep it Real Campaign, 80% of ten year old American girls have been on a diet before. This crazes my mind because they are at such a vulnerable age, so doing any harm to their body can lead to serious damage in the future. This statement shows that the media not only has a huge affect on teenagers, but it has a major affect on little girls longing to look unreal.
3. This article talks about how the plus size population is suffering and drastically has decreased. With this being said, plus size women all over America are beginning to love their own bodies again, and should be thankful they are not in danger. It’s odd to think that America has this stereotype that everyone will become obese sooner or later, but in reality, it’s starting to become the complete opposite.
4. Although magazines and celebrities have a huge role in making you do extra pushups, or forcing you to workout right before summer, I found out that they aren’t the only ones pressuring us teenagers into attempting to change our looks to look the “ideal” look. Our peers have a part in doing this too. Them posting pictures of themselves on social media make cause others to want to be like them, or look and have their confidence. All in all, it isn’t a very good thing to envy your own friend.

Future Question: Will the media soon realize that their models are harming young men and women? And when they do realize, what will they do about it?