The Not So Perfect Body essays

The Not So Perfect Body essays I wish I looked like that! Does this sound familiar? Millions of images everyday are pressuring teens today to be slimmer, taller, and stronger. No wonder more and more teens have a bad self-image of themselves and are willing to do anything to get the perfect body. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons says that the numbers of teenagers getting cosmetic surgery has more than doubled in the last few years, with the most popular surgeries as rhinoplasty (nose surgery), breast augmentation, liposuction, and otoplasty (ear surgery). Surgery is not the only way teenagers are working for the perfect body; eating disorders are becoming more frequent. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that by college as many as 4.5% to 8% of girls have had bulimia (an eating disorder associated with binging and purging and severe weight loss). Also 1 in every 100 women is diagnosed with anorexia (an eating disorder characterized by low calorie intake and extreme exercise in order to lose weight). The complications of these disorders can cause seizures, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, slower breathing rate, and has been linked to at least 1,000 deaths per year. Though eating disorders are usually associated with females, it is projected that over one million teenage boys also suffer from these disorders. Along with the obsession for a thin, slim, body, having a well-sculpted, muscular body is another aspiration for most teenagers. In 2001 over 400,000 teenage boys reported that they were steroid users even though the drugs are illegal in the U.S. Steroids are used to enhance their muscles and strength but in the end steroids can cause severe mood swings, paranoia, delusions, impaired judgment, heart attack, cancer, liver disease, and has lead to many other complications as well as suicide. With all these risks, then why would anyone gamble their health on such a superficial cause? ...