Teenage Girls have the Weight of the World on their Shoulders
This article really hit home with me. In the Houston Chronicle today, there is a story about a study done by the University of Texas that shows teenage girls who are obese are half as likely to attend college as their slimmer counterparts. The study also showed that obese teenage girls were more likely to engage in reckless behaviors such as skipping school, underage drinking and drug abuse. Such acting out stems from feelings of isolation. What I found most poignant in the article was how the societal stigma of appearance is not the same for obese boys.
Today is my birthday and I’m venturing into my mid-twenties. But it wasn’t too long ago that I was a teenage girl in high school facing the same pressures discussed in this article. For girls, even at an early age, looks and weight become the focus. Once you fall outside of the desired parameters for looks in society, the change begins. It is a shame that these girls are judged by their looks before they have even had time to develop them. What is even more of a shame is that these outside factors are affecting the educational choices of these young women. Because you don’t wear a certain size means you aren’t supposed to be successful in life? This shows me how much young women tie beauty to self-worth. The unfortunate part is that beauty and outward appearance will fade and can be taken away. It’s what you learn, give to others and grow into as a person that makes you special. Those types of lessons often come with life experience and wisdom, both of which you do not need outer beauty to attain.
women, obesity, education, beauty, society, teenage girls, pressure
August 5th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Nice post about the sad consequences of fat being a socially acceptable thing to “hate on.” Especially since the younger someone is the less likely they are to have control over what they are fed, or have the knowledge to understand what the consequences are of what they eat before it is too late.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Body image perceptions can make us waste so much precious time….
October 28th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
I think that it is sad when people loose control of there weight. Girls definatly are worse off than boys. Boy can cover theirs up.
Girls are very self conchise and it is all about your apperance these days.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I had a differnt experience. I was slim enough in high school, but when I went off the college I gained the “freshman 15,” plus 5. By the time I graduated I weighed 60 pounds more than when I entered. A sedentary job, the stress that goes with it and a tendency to eat out frequently and now I am 100 pounds overweight. Maybe if I hadn’t gone to college my path would have been different and I would not be so obese. Still I prefer this option, I guess.