Author: Meghan Brown

Being a teenager is easily one of the most challenging times in life that you’ll ever have to experience. It’s difficult dealing with raging hormones-everything around you seems to change completely. Your body is changing both mentally and physically, and your view on the world begins to alter.. As we grow older, we learn that the world is much scarier than we think, and we need to be careful. Mental illness has been the second leading cause of death for young Canadians aged 15- 24. Over 3.2 million Canadians aged 12-19 are at risk of developing depression.  It’s difficult because this is the age where things are starting to change, and we’re faced with more responsibilities as we get closer to adulthood…

Now life is getting more complicated. We begin to realize we must grow up, everyone knows this, but when it really hits you, it all becomes real and terrifying. I think that the reason it’s been particularly hard for today’s generation of teens is because our generation had to grow up alongside the rise and popularity of social media., We’re all addicted to it-even I’ll admit I can’t go very long without taking a scroll through Instagram. The problem with social media is that a lot of the time, we teenagers feel like we have to look like what we see on the internet, and if we don’t, we automatically see ourselves as “less than” everyone else around us. It can turn into a vicious cycle. Sometimes we do get competitive with each other, and we don’t even realize it. It’s this constant need to look “good” in a post on social media. This adds on to the social issues that we face at school or around other teens sometimes because teenagers can be petty, often times.

I remember growing up watching classic Disney movies such as “High School Musical” and thinking that it would be like that once I got to high school and it made me idolize every teenager I met..  I used to love the idea of being a teenager; I thought all teens seemed so cool and independent. To me, being a teenager was basically like being an adult and I used to hate the idea of being treated as a kid…

Then, I became a teenager myself, and being a teenager in the age where social media is huge is quite challenging. I think today on social media, a lot of the idea of being “perfect” comes in to play. Sometimes we think that we must dress or look a certain way to come off as attractive or appealing to our fellow classmates and peers. As social media advances it gets worse and we think that we’re not good enough for anyone, including ourselves. Teenagers go through a lot; school itself is very stressful and causes most (but not all) teens anxiety. Sometimes our parents never really seem to understand how much pressure and stress school can cause. On top of that, teens also deal with a lot of social problems when it comes to the people in school and around them and it can be tough to fit in.  When I was in elementary school, everyone seemed carefree and happy; this changed when I started going to high school. It was like suddenly everyone had problems and was horribly sad- I didn’t understand the change at first. Now, I figured out that everyone has problems in their lives, even as kids. As we get older, we become more self-aware and pay more attention to the little details in our lives.. The great part of all this though, is that we can always improve ourselves and make things better.

A lot of the time we let out our feelings by posting it on social media, or we listen to a lot of depressing music. Based on personal experience, music helps a lot because you don’t feel so alone and, in a sense, you feel like someone understands the situations in your life and what you’re going through. Even if we’re all alone, we’re together in that too. If you look to the better side of things in your life (there is always a brighter side) than you will start to feel better; it is all about perspective.

Social media is a big part of a teenager’s life, today. It is hard to ignore and hard not to participate in it because everyone uses it for a number of different reasons. No matter how you use social media, for contact with friends, to make a statement or otherwise, always remember that it is not solely who you are. Don’t feel dragged down by it for if you allow it to “influence” you too much, you may find yourself feeling confused about your true identity. As cliché as it sounds, never compare yourself to others because there is only one you- this thought alone should give you all the confidence you need. You are unique in your own way and no social media post could ever change that!

Resources:

https://cmha.ca/about-cmha/fast-facts-about-mental-illness

Body shaming. This is a concept that most of us have heard before, but a lot of us don’t fully understand what it is and the impact that it has on teenagers. In 2019, more and more teenagers are developing mental health-related issues due to this terrible problem that needs to be stopped.

What is body shaming?

Body shaming is when somebody humiliates, makes fun of, or mocks someone else by making critical comments about their body shape or size. Although it most commonly starts off by one person saying mean remarks to another, body shaming can also be done to yourself. Body shaming is a severe form of bullying and can be the start of so many issues, for example, eating disorders, depression, lack of self-esteem and confidence, anxiety and other related issues.

Why is body shaming such a big deal in 2019?

Have you looked in magazines and advertisements lately? Most of the models in those advertisements and magazines are the idea of a “perfect body type” that society has created; slim, small, tan, etc. Many teenagers have had problems with accepting their bodies because of these ads and models. Teenagers feel like they need to meet the only “acceptable” body type of the season, (which is the ones we see in ads and magazines), and they will do anything to meet this standard set by society. This can include starving themselves and working out excessively so that they become thinner. Teenagers are being told to change their appearances on the daily. Magazines are constantly offering tips on how to lose weight “in days”, how to appear slimmer “instantly,” and how to hide our “imperfections”.  It has become normal for people to criticize aspects of our bodies as some type of “bonding” experience with our friends, (if we all hate our bodies, it makes us feel connected and united). Social media is a big contributor to body shaming. Messages often imply that we should want to change our bodies, that we should be slimmer, smaller and tanner and if we don’t follow suit, people will hate us and we will become the target of someone else’s body shaming comments.

Why body shaming needs to be stopped!

Teenagers are becoming more desperate for other people to like and accept their bodies. It boosts their self-esteem because they dislike their bodies due to daily body shaming. Most of us don’t realize how often body shaming comes up in our day to day life; how many billboards have weight loss images on them, how many advertisements come up on our devices for “a slimmer look”.  People who are experiencing high levels of body dissatisfaction feel like they are flawed in comparison to others. This is one of the highest risk factors for feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Body shaming is the best-known contributor to the development of serious eating disorders called anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

How can we make a difference and stop body shaming?!

This all starts out as one single movement. Accepting and loving your own body; being body positive. What you do to help prevent body shaming might feel like it has little to no impact at all, but the best way to help others is to help yourself first. Some small steps to defeat body shaming yourself may include: using mindfulness activities, using positive affirmation lists for yourself, turning your focus away from what you look like and instead how you feel, getting support from a professional or trusted adult (for example: family doctor, dietitian, specialized mental health worker, parent, guardian, school social workers or guidance counsellors.), taking a social media cleanse – or at least surrounding yourself with positivity on social media platforms, and most importantly, believe in yourself!

Sources:

1. “Body Shaming, Social Media, Bullying And The Drive To Be Best – What 2019 Holds For Kids On Social Media According To Selfie Filmmaker And Positive Psychologist Barbara Becker Holstein.” Home – CBS News 8 – San Diego, CA News Station – KFMB Channel 8, 19 Dec. 2018, www.cbs8.com/story/39666342/body-shaming-social-media-bullying-and-the-drive-to-be-best-what-2019-holds-for-kids-on-social-media-according-to-selfie-filmmaker-and-positive.
2. “Body-Shaming: What Is It & Why Do We Do It?” Walden Eating Disorders Treatment, 10 Sept. 2018, www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/body-shaming-what-is-it-why-do-we-do-it/.
3. “Body Image & Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-eating-disorders.
4. Rugh, Sooji. “Body-Shaming: How To Spot It How To Stop It.” Mindbodygreen, Mindbodygreen, 22 May 2015, www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12452/bodyshaming-how-to-spot-it-how-to-stop-it.html.

“How to Overcome Body Shame.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/modern-sex/201707/how-overcome-body-shame