An Instagram model wearing a Lululemon outfit gets ready for her daily workout while posing in front of a mirror. She always posts updates about her healthy diet to inspire girls to be just like her. 

What she doesn’t know is that her content becomes the ideal girls aim to achieve. They want to dress like her, talk like her, and even go through their day with her routine. To emulate the influencer, girls start extreme diets, put on heavy makeup, and buy an unnecessary amount of clothes.

No matter how much girls want to be like the Instagram model, they are following a path that can damage their health, mentality, and social life.

Why do girls always try their best to look pretty?

Our society sets many impossible standards for girls. I feel like I always have to dress nicely when I leave the house, to not become “overweight,” and I even have to care whether I apply the correct tone of lipstick for the day. I am only 15 years old and this is not a pressure that I’m supposed to deal with. 

Though society tells girls to ignore these standards and be themselves, this is easier said than done. First, teenagers crave acceptance from their peers. Most girls strive to look perfect and sport up-to-date fashions all while displaying a friendly personality. To achieve these standards, girls look to Instagram models for inspiration.

Over time, girls develop an obsession with looking like Instagram models. Our culture expects girls to look a certain way, and if they don’t they risk rude comments and glances from their peers. Furthermore, girls who try to live up to this standard often take extreme measures to get there.

Going on extreme diets

Some girls think that going on extreme diets is the fastest way to lose weight. A normal diet consists of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and fats. Getting these macronutrients is easy with a simple bento, which typically includes meat, rice, veggies, and other side dishes. 

However, some girls avoid eating normally because they want to lose weight. They skip meals and eat very little; they might only have a bowl of soup for lunch. This can lead to hormone imbalances which can cause girls to have menstrual irregularity and mood swings. Also, being on a diet means when you stop the diet, your weight comes back quickly. As you can see, though being on extreme diets may effectively help you lose weight in the short term, the negative consequences of shock diets are not worth the problems.

Putting on heavy makeup

Traditionally, girls start applying makeup when they are in high school. However, recent studies show that the average age of using makeup has dropped to as young as eleven years old. The growing popularity of social media in schools makes girls feel like they need makeup to fit in. 

Aside from trying to cope with peer pressure, applying makeup can cause skin damage. While preteen girls should develop good hygiene, using heavy amounts of product on their faces leads to sensitive skin in the future. Makeup is trying to cover the flaws on one’s face, and being a young girl, there is no need to use so much product.

You are pretty

Girls should be confident in who they are. No standard or scale can determine your beauty. Instead, we can all create our own aesthetic customized for ourselves. 

Do not be afraid to show the true side of yourself to everyone, because people who understand you will appreciate you.