Body Image for JSEC Teens, Ladies and Gents–Can Be A Real Issue

Body+Image+for+JSEC+Teens%2C+Ladies+and+Gents--Can+Be+A+Real+Issue

Roseline Tavarez, Journalist

Body Image for Both Ladies and Gents–is a Real Issue

By Roseline Taveras

Body image is a very important topic that is often overlooked in today’s generation. This has become a major issue in these past few years, and many ladies and gentlemen struggle with it. Most of the time people are unhappy with their looks due to three main reasons, Social Media, Surroundings, and Bullying. Because of these three things we often have insecurities and also have trouble loving things about ourselves.

The main source that has caused this issue is Social Media. Social Media can be used in different ways, and one way is definitely to show off your body. We often see these people and might think to ourselves, “well why don’t I look like that” or “I wish I had this or that” which is a very common mindset in the social media world. We also struggle with body image because of our surroundings. Seeing people that look a certain way or have something that you may want causes your self esteem to go down and it starts causing insecurities. Bullying has also been one of the main things to cause struggles with body image, because many people point things out repeatedly. When pointing things out, people will eventually start disliking that about themselves and wish they looked different. As a teenager, I can say that most of us deal with this frequently and most of the time we don’t feel satisfied with ourselves. Unfortunately, this all can affect our mental and physical health.

Many teenagers that suffer from body image can develop mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The feeling of not looking the way we wished we looked is overwhelming and it starts to develop all these kinds of mental illnesses. Others also develop an eating disorder mainly to be satisfied with how they look. This could affect the way you look but most importantly your health in general. Anorexia is a very common eating disorder and it has health consequences such as, Anemia, Low Blood Sugar, Cardiac complications, Osteoporosis, and many more.

In conclusion, this is the reason why we should all know about Body Image and it’s consequences. We should be more aware of the things we say to people and try to help others find healthier ways to cope with this issue. To anyone reading this just know you are beautiful and handsome in and out. Learn to love yourself and appreciate what makes you unique in your own way. Find the things you may not love and tell yourself “this is what makes me unique.” And as Thich Nhat said, “to be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”