BODY IMAGE IS HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR OR WHEN YOU PICTURE YOURSELF IN YOUR MIND. ITS WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT YOUR OWN APPEARANCE, HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR BODY, INCLUDING YOUR HEIGHT, SHAPE, AND WEIGHT.
Selva's Introduction
Body image people may not be seen as a big deal but it is. Its a social justice issue because its hurting teenage girls. Yes people may try to do something about it but once they realize its something they can’t fight against they take the easy path which is giving up. One thing they don’t realize is that it will take time but if we stick with carrying out an action we will accomplish something and we will see a different. There are many actions that can be carried out when it comes to body image but people don’t realize it and they give up but that is the plan all along it will come many obstacle that we will need to fight off. If one action does not work then we try the next one if that one doesn't work then we try the next and the next but the point here is to not give up.
Being part of a 80% of teenage girls that worry about their body image has gave me the chance to talk for myself and other girls that feel just the same way as I do. Body image is the issue I will carry out an action for not because I have to but because its something I care about and know that I’m not the only one that worries about it. This issue means a lot to me because it something I can say it changed my life because like I said before at age 13 I became part of that 80% of girls who worries about their body image because they want to be someone they are not. I have changed many thing about myself and my life because of it. I have many reasons why I want to help change the way other teenage girls think about themselves. Many people think it does not matter but it does because its causing a lot of these girls pain. People think that they just want to be take care of themselves but there is a difference between being taking care of your weight so you won’t gain it and another to not eat and starve yourself to be looking like the image media gives you. Media gives out the image of the ideal “women” or the ideal “teenage girl” this makes them think that they are not pretty to be even encountered by a male. Situations like these lead to many things like eating disorders, depression, low-self team, and obsessive in losing weight.
Jocelyn's Introduction
I was not aware that eating disorders could deeply injure a person, until I became aware of my own eating disorder symptoms. I kept my eating disorder secret for about three years. Eating disorders vary from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and to binge eating. However, I was combating with anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is when one avoids eating and limits food intake. Anorexia is an eating disorder that is obsessed about weight and food.
Consequently, those three years were tormenting me every single day. Negative thoughts passed my mind, “You will never be pretty” “You need to lose weight to be considered beautiful” would be some of the thoughts that I secretly held to myself. Therefore, I decided to eat little as possible everyday along with a strict diet. I was obsessed with calorie intake and I was excessively exercising. I passed my days nervously over thinking meals; on what to eat and when to eat. At times, I would only eat a light vegetarian meal, exercise, and sleep with a whole in my stomach. I would admire thin models and look up to the ideal concept that the media illustrates as beautiful. The ideal beauty concept was to be thin and as I would follow that concept, I kept ruining myself. Eating disorders harms one’s health, and can potentially lead to death. This is why body image is a big issue.
Until one day, reality hit me. I was not going to feel pretty by ruining and damaging myself. I needed to love myself first in order to feel beautiful. I was born to be real not to be perfect. I started to seek help and advice from my family and close friends. I started to better my eating habits, started to gain a positive attitude and perspective of myself. I know that it is a very hard struggle to deal with eating disorder and that is why I want to integrate my passion towards this issue.