Self image. Something that girls have struggled with for centuries. Society has created a world where we are afraid of individuality , and instead conform in order to be accepted by others. We are scared of not being slim enough, having perfectly good skin or keeping up with the latest fashion trends . If we decide not to conform we become self conscious and loose confidence in our own uniqueness . A world such as this is something I myself have become terrified of as it particularly affects young girls, who know no better than to think they must meet societies standards. I am here to tell you that it is acceptable to be different , and to love yourself regardless of what you look like.
Social media has become one of the main factors that have contributed to young girls believing that they are not good enough. Apps such as Instagram allow influencers to promote slim teas and corsets in order to achieve an 'ideal body' . These products are glorified and the physical damage that they can cause are disregarded. Girls are therefore exposed to the idea that in order to be the best version of themselves they must follow in the footsteps of their social media 'role models' . Society has created an online world that forces girls to strive to be like everyone else around them. A world such as this produces insecurities and self image issues ,because girls will never feel satisfied with who are, if they are constantly trying to be someone that they are not.
Pretending to be someone else is dangerous because it does not allow you to flourish as an individual . This is what society should be teaching us . That it is perfectly normal to be different from everyone else , it is perfectly normal to naturally be slimmer or bigger than others , it is perfectly normal to have imperfections. No one is going to love everything about themselves, but society should be teaching us to. We are being taught to scrutinise ourselves , to believe that we are not intelligent enough or pretty enough if we do not meet a certain standard . It is evident that young girls experience self image issues both in school and online , but who is doing something to stop it ? Models and celebrities should be influencing young girls to not feel the need to wear makeup , follow fashion trends and work out five times a week to achieve a 'perfect body' . We all work together as a society. Every single individual is a victim of the online world. A growing girl should never feel that she needs to change anything about herself because of what she sees in a magazine or Instagram photo. A growing girl should be taught that it is not only on what is on the outside , but also what is on the inside that matters. She should be taught that she has the ability to express herself through whatever she desires to wear or post on any of her social media accounts , and that she should never feel that she will be judged for being unique. A society that teaches us to accept ourselves is a society I nor any other girl will ever be afraid of.
