 | I am a 23 year old female...I have to say I agree with the last poster...I think that teens have too much pressure on them to dress well. When I was in High school, I was an outcast and teased incessantly by my peers. I could never afford the right clothes, and was overweight. I felt awful about myself, having no friends. I literally had NO ONE I could turn to or even talk to at school! It was so bad that I was even suicidal. Those children were so cruel. I thought something was really wrong with me! When I think back on it, I see how how pop stars like Britney Spears influence body image. The clothes they wear are ultra popular, and ONLY look good on a SMALL percentage of girls. This makes the rest of us feel inadequate and bad about ourselves. Besides that, the message they send to young girls is indeed a sexual one. In fact, young women are taught by stars like this and the clothes they wear and songs they write, that thier only way to power is through sexuality. I think this is wrong. Sexuality isn't about baring ones body...it is about confidence and strength of character. That is what makes someone attractive, not a bare midrift. I really wish that our culture empasized this. Unfortunatley, we have to live in a culture that empahsizes physicality as the only means of attraction. I am a college graduate now, and my life has changed a lot since my high school days. I found power within myself, and have learned to love my body for what it is. However, there are a lot of women out there my age and older who haven't found that, and are still trapped in our society's misconceptions. Not to mention scores of younger women who are loathing their beautiful bodies every day! What people need to do is send the RIGHT messages. Be confident in yourself and you will shine. Take the time for introspection and KNOW who you are inside and out...let your teen daughters and sisters see your inner beauty radiate to the outside, and you will be setting a great example. Tell your teens that there is more to the world than what they feel in Hish School...there is a whole exciting world out there that they can't even fathom yet! And most of all, never criticze their bodies or put them on a diet...let them know they are lovely for who they are!! (email me at Bluekanary@aol.com with any ?s or comments to this post) |
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