Despite the thrills and ecstasy of puberty, being a teenager is fraught with difficulties and difficulties. Teenagers are always excited about getting their first driver's licenses, prom dates, and even falling in love for the first time. The phase is also marked by a developing sense of independence as parents allow their children to gain some freedom as they gradually learn to care for themselves (Goode n.p). Though both boys and girls experience the challenges associated with puberty, teen girls are faced with various other issues that may make their lives hard as they struggle to face their fears and other issues. The girls can be seen to be under extreme pressure as they struggle to be perfect, coupled with various other issues such as shaky esteem. The present paper argues that the society should accord more care to teenage girls so as to prevent and alleviate problems such as teenage girl pregnancies and motherhood, identity crisis, low self-esteem body image and appearance issues.
Body Image Issues
During puberty, the growth and developmental changes that are taking place in the bodies are as unfamiliar as they are scary. Appearance and weight concerns affect the girls with a typical teen girl aiming to look as good as much as possible (Goode n.p). Pressure to conform to the societal standards of good appearance also makes the girls be concerned about how they look. The portrayal of models who appear in magazines and other media shows as completely can also be blamed for the girls desire and struggle to be like the girls who wins the pageantry or who appears on the cover of magazines (Haughney).
Pageantry and other similar shows can be noted to be rewarding the body appearances at the expense of healthy lifestyle such as proper nutrition (Steinhauer). Teens who want to look slimmer so as to be regarded as beautiful may shun healthy food choices. The society is also to be blamed for placing too much emphasis on the appearance of individuals. For instance, fat people are often being ridiculed or bullied. It is even worse in the case of teen girls who are considered ugly or beautiful based on whether they are fat or not. The girls are therefore constantly worried that may get fat and be rejected by other people.
Teen Pregnancy and Motherhood
The show, 16 and Pregnant highlights the plight of the girls who are robbed of their teenage bliss and brutally ushered into motherhood. It is not one of the best things to be forced out of a developmental stage in life. Teens should enjoy adolescence to full potential (Caramanica n.p). Teen pregnancies and eventual motherhood lead to social consequences such as dropping out of school with a possibility of not attaining college education for the future progress of the girls who are held back by the motherhood responsibilities. It can further be noted that the fathers of the babies who are equally young demonstrate irresponsibility with the young mothers forced to fill the void left by the deadbeat fathers. Such challenges place unimaginable pressures and difficulties on the teenage girls who also have to balance their teens with forced motherhood.
Another problem associated with teen motherhood is the regarding of the teenage mothers as fully grown women by the society. It can be noted that girls as young as 15 years old but with children are considered to be single women lacking spouses. Such is the sad state of affair as the minors are grouped with grown-ups. The grouping may lead to a lack of proper provision of essential social services that are required by the girls (Calame). Calling 15-year olds women without spouses can also be observed to represent an attack on the family values. Such groupings may also lead to early marriages as the society pile pressure on the girls to look for or accept marriage proposals so as to avoid the stigma that comes with teen motherhood. At the same time, the girls are desperate for love and acceptance especially after being left by the deadbeat fathers. Social problems notwithstanding the financial realities of raising a baby as a teenage mother also present further struggles to the girls. They give birth in a period of their lives when they may not be working and the only source of financial support comes from the parents of guardians. The implications are worse in cases when the family does not have a sustainable source of income.
Conclusion
The life of a teenager is full of challenges and struggles due to bodily changes and the various societal pressures. The pressure to conform to the perceived perfection standards affects teenage girls who have to deal with various other issues such as body images and desire to be perfect. Teenage pregnancy and motherhood is yet another problem that is faced by the teen-age girls.
Works Cited
Calame, Byron. 2007. "Can A 15-Year-Old Be A ‘Woman Without A Spouse’? - Nytimes.Com". Mobile.Nytimes.Com. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/opinion/11pubed.html?referer=.
Caramanica, Jon. 2017. "Familiarity Breeds Masochism - Nytimes.Com". Mobile.Nytimes.Com. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/arts/television/mtvs-teen-mom-3-tells-distressingly-familiar-stories.html?referer=.
Goode, Erica. 2003. "BODY AND IMAGE; How To Talk To Teenage Girls About Weight? Very Carefully - Nytimes.Com". Mobile.Nytimes.Com. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/health/body-and-image-how-to-talk-to-teenage-girls-about-weight-very-carefully.html?referer=.
Haughney, Christine. 2012. "Seventeen Magazine Vows To Show Girls 'As They Really Are'". Media Decoder Blog. https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/after-petition-drive-seventeen-magazine-commits-to-show-girls-as-they-really-are/?_r=1.
Steinhauer, Jennifer. 1995. "Miss Teen-Ager As Queen Of Smarts". Nytimes.Com. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/26/style/miss-teen-ager-as-queen-of-smarts.html?login=email&mtrref=query.nytimes.com&gwt=pay.
