Society has standards. Media project the “perfection.” Friends influence. Parents put pressure and expect. All of this, mixed together, makes it harder for teenage girls to find their own identity. After all, they shape their conception of themselves through their environment. These elements can induce some social, emotional, physical and psychological issues. Is it harder for teenage girls to form their identity according to these factors?

The biggest challenge for teenage girls is not to pay attention to society’s standards and the perfection according to media. In the world we are living, we teach girls to determine their worth through their appearance instead of their personality and their capabilities. These days, even if she is a wonderful girl, she will still compare herself to other girls, because she will feel the need to be the best. Because of puberty, teens may not feel completely comfortable in their body. For example, now days, for a girl to have success with guys she may has to have “big boobs and a butt” if we refer to our generation. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, by the age of 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate boys do. After all, it’s not that easy for some teenage girls to wear a swimsuit in front of people. In magazines, television, publicity, Instagram, Facebook and internet in general, teenagers perceive models as the person they should become. But we all know that it’s not reality, because Photoshop is behind this “perfection.”

Friendship is one of the main important thing in a teenage life, because they choose each other and they will share everything, good or bad, that happens. Due to the high level of trust in a friendship, they could sometimes do things that come against their values under pressure. Example: consuming drugs and alcohol, try cigarettes, etc. If a friend tells her “you’re not game?” usually, she will want to be seen as cool as her friend and feel safe about their relation. Also, she won’t want her pride and her reputation to be touched, so she will do it. Plus, in a group of friends, everyone will want to look a bit like each other. Maybe to have a common aspect or not to be rejected? But even if they follow the fashion, they should not let their personality fade away. We know that it doesn’t really matter, because if she has good friends they won’t care about her clothing, but sometimes, with all the pressure, it’s hard for her to remember to stay herself and be proud of it.

Since kindergarten, parents are already judging their kid’s achievements. For example, they will have a look at the drawings of their children and start to compare it to the other ones. When kids start school, parents may feel insecure about their child’s success, so they will want to encourage them as best as they can, but with time, this may become pressure.  The build of a kid’s self-esteem starts at a young age, and if parents don’t compliment, congratulate, and encourage, the kid may develop a low self-esteem and anxiety related problems.

Finally, you’ve seen many different problems that pressure on teens can cause. Do you think that all of this creates a great environment for teenage girls? Can we all agree on the fact that this should stop? Be what you are, don’t change for people.