There Is Too Much Pressure on Girls and Women to Be Beautiful and to Have Perfect Bodies

I do not think I made my viewpoint all that clear. I am not promoting obesity by any means; in addition, I believe males and females should lead healthy lifestyles. It is a good idea for Americans to be educated on proper diet and exercise to maintain health to lesson the risk of diseases such as type-2 diabetes, or heart failure. My view of the pressure on girls and women is that they feel the need to take certain measures to alter their appearance; in fact, that do not contribute to their overall health. Many girls and women are influenced by the things I listed in my previous argument. Also, they often feel pressure from their family, friends, peers, and even romantic partners. When I say, "girls and women take certain measures to alter their appearance", what I mean is that they are getting plastic surgery, excessively tanning, partaking in fad diets, and even resorting to medications that suppress appetite. The list could go on and on. For example, lets say that a young girl (girl A) sees a picture of another young girl (girl B) that she follows on Instagram. In her eyes, girl B is perfect because she has bigger breast than her, has long straight hair, and has Kim Kardashian lips. Girl A takes care of herself, eats healthy most of the time, runs track in school, and is healthy; yet, she can not stop comparing herself to others. She has the appropriate body mass index (BMI) for her age, height, and weight; yet, she looks past all that because she does not feel adequate. Just last week, her boyfriend told her that her breast were too small; also, she should consider dying her hair blonde to be more attractive. Girl A is very insecure about her appearance; although, she is healthy. Girl A sees an advertisement on TV for plastic surgery, and now she wants to get breast implants. Now, she will not stop asking her mom to finance a breast augmentation for her, and she keeps insisting that she will never be happy unless she has the procedure done. Often, girls and women feel pressured to do these things because they feel it is the only way to be accepted by others, feel loved and happy, and to be successful. I am not speaking for all girls and women, for some of them are not affected by what they are told or see, but a vast majority are. What I am trying to say is that often these girls and women that feel pressure are not satisfied with just being healthy. The things they are doing to their bodies do not contribute to their health. When they start becoming obsessive about their appearance and going to the extreme to look good, then that becomes a problem. People have gotten skin cancer from excessive tanning, gotten infections from plastic surgery that ended up leaving disfigurement, and people have died because their bodies shut down from starving themselves. The list of negatives could drag on because of what they are willing to do just to feel beautiful. In point, girls and women need to worry more about their health, and this can also apply to males. It does not matter how big ones breast are, how light or dark ones skin is, or how big their muscles are, these things do not contribute to health. Focus on having a healthy body; in turn, that should bring happiness. Be healthy and happy; in turn, the right people will accept others for who they are and not for what they do or do not have on the outside. True beauty lies within.