Scrolling through social media, you pass tons of photos and videos enforcing unrealistic standards – even if you don’t realize it. 

Girls, especially impressionable teenagers, may start to shift their personalities, appearances, and friendships to fit these expectations. 

“I know a lot of people have to try and fit in with the trends,” sophomore Gabriella Zambrana said. “Watching them change as a person was really weird because their whole personality kind of absorbs into being this perfect image, and it’s kinda sad to see it happen to them.” 

The people around them start to notice these shifts in their friends. 

“It made me sad because she didn’t need to change herself,” sophomore Taylor Truesdale said. 

The lengths some girls will go to to achieve their goals is toxic. 

“I’ve seen a lot of them go on these dieting things, or they become a lot more self judgemental and self-conscious,” Zambrana said. “A lot of them go to like eating disorders or really unrealistic things, and they’re comparing themselves to other people.” 

These standards definitely don’t have a positive effect on mental health. 

“I think it affects all women poorly,” Truesdale said. “The constant try to be perfect when you can’t — it’s a struggle.”

You’re expected to fit these things, but if you did it “wrong,” then it’s still a problem. 

“Perfect hair, teeth, nose, no stretch marks, and a perfect body — but it all has to be natural; otherwise, you’re fake,” junior Caylee Headings said. 

Social media makes it easy to push an unrealistic image of what you should look like. 

“People use a lot of filters and edit their pictures and things like that,” senior Emma Lay said. “It makes them think less about themselves because they don’t look like that naturally, and they think other people think they do.”

Social media is not the only culprit of these standards, as it can be enforced in real life too. Though not everyone is promoting it, sometimes it can feel like it. 

“In general, I’d say social media, but in my personal experience, I’d say people around me,” Truesdale said, “I don’t think they try to enforce it, but I surround myself with pretty perfect people, so it’s just like ‘Oh yeah she’s so cute’ so you strive to be like your friends, so I think that’s how it is.”

Although most of the standards are unrealistic, there are still a few healthy lifestyles being promoted.

“I think that the standards are near unachievable,” Headings said. “While I think working out is very good for you and your mental health, you need to make sure you are doing it for yourself and to be proud of yourself.”