iCount Youth Account





Okay, Perfect!

Reading magazines and watching movies, music videos or television shows actually lowers self-esteem levels – it is just too easy to compare yourself to the featured models and stars. Never mind that their appearance has usually been altered or enhanced to make them more visually appealing! 

Confidence in your personal appearance affects how you think, act, pursue opportunities and relate to others.  Your self-perception is completely affected by outside influences – media images, fashion, pop culture and peers.

In almost all cases studied, high levels of body confidence take a nosedive around age 14, and are often never reclaimed. How awful! It’s like going from a 95 in math to a 47 and staying there forever! 

Low body esteem can stop young people from participating in social activities, like going to the beach, or hold them back from participating in sports. Some teens can even stay away from giving opinions so they don’t stand out! All of this because they feel bad about the way they look! 

Six out of 10 teenage girls THINK they would be happier if they were thinner. One out of four teenage boys would consider plastic surgery so they could look more like top sports stars or celebrities. It’s time to stop this waste of potential!  You can be confident in your own skin and joyful about the person you are. 

Look around you and see if you can identify people who are proud of who they are today.  Confident and capable adults begin with confident teens.  Use these people as role models.

Make a list of five things you LIKE about yourself, both internal and external. Better yet, ask two friends to make a list of five things they like about you.  Finding out you have something to offer to those around you is a big step towards feeling proud. 

Here’s some real-world analyzing for you to do.  What weight is “perfect?” Who says so? Ask any doctor and they will give you a “healthy range” for heights and body types. If you fit into this range, great! If you do not, it does not make you a failure, it simply means that you may have to work at a certain element to be healthier.  This is work done for YOU, not for others.

There is a difference between recognizing that someone is attractive or appealing to look at and thinking that is now the “look” you need to create for yourself to be successful.  We can appreciate someone for having beauty or a great sense of style and definitely for their accomplishments, but that is one person and it is not you. To cultivate people’s approval of you comes from you, not from a copy of someone else.

Next time you see a star in a magazine, ask yourself: what do they do to make the world a better place? Are they talented in their art? Do they donate money or time to charities? Do they dig in and help when disasters strike?  It can be a hard lesson to embrace – looking nice may open a few doors for you, but it is what you do after you walk through the door that creates success!