By Michelle Letriz
Many of the girls in America want be petite. 80% of girls dislike their body by the time they are 17, according to abcnews.com. Now, that also makes me think," If girls want to be like models, than what inspiration do boys have?" The answer to that are, athletes. One of the main differences between boys and girls is that girls crave weight loss, whereas boys crave the weight gain.
Some people may say that girls only dislike their body because a boy said something about it, but that is completely untrue. Almost half of the girls out there who struggle with body image issues do it because they are struggling with their own self-acceptance. The majority of those girls starves or over-exercises because they bully themselves.
Although this may be a more known struggle to girls; boys also go through these "self-judgmental" stages. It may not happen as often, boys still struggle with fitting in. The biggest thing for a guy, it seems, is whether or not they are “buff” enough to be like one of those athletes. People should accept themselves no matter what they look like physically. But, this isn't the end of it all.
Yes, there are these kids who struggle with the acceptance of their physical self, but not forget the kids who are proud to be who they are with no problem being compared to a mini office building. Let’s shed some light on the confident ones. Not just the stereotypical confident high school kids like the jocks or the wrestling team. Talk about how those little band members or random mathletes who are happy just the way they are.
Everyone goes through his or her own thing. In the end, we all end up in the same position. Mid-thirties, slightly overweight, but still loved by the people who know us enough to not care what we look like. Now, I'm definitely not saying it's okay to be morbidly obese. I am just trying to get out that for girls, you don't need to do this to yourself to be happy and have friends.
If you want to be on the football team, they will help you get buff no matter what. Girls, if you want to have a career in modeling then, trust me; they will work your body to the bone with intense workouts and healthy eating habits. Starvation and steroids isn't what gets you want you want. It's all about having a healthy mental state that will assist you in reaching your dreams.
Although this may not change the mind of those kids who are struggling; this will hopefully open your eyes to the actual reason behind those sad kids in high school.
Photo Courtesy of: sodahead.com