Girls Are Too Sexy (To Change Their Self-Image on the Web)

Have you ever obsessed about your Facebook picture? If you just said no, you lied to us.

With the introduction of social media like Facebook and Twitter, the country is looking a lot like Gossip Girl. Everyone knows your business at the drop of a hat, and you try everything possible to make yourself look better through those means. Sometimes girls interpret that as downplaying their awesome personas, which is definitely not trend-worthy.

The Girl Scout Research Institute just released a study regarding girls, their image and social media, and the results are a tad troubling. Surveying over 1,000 girls aged 14 to 17, 41% admit that they “use social networking sites to make themselves look cooler than they really are.” They downplay many great characteristics of themselves online, particularly “their smartness, kindness, and efforts to be a good influence.” Instead, many girls with low self-esteem describe themselves as sexy (22%) and crazy (35%) on the Web.

Perhaps they should tone down the so-called sex kitten insanity they’re portraying online. A lot of girls fear that won’t get into the college of their dreams (42%), will miss a sick job opportunity (40%), will get in deep water with their parents or teachers (40%), or their friends or family will lose respect for them (39%) as a result of the personal content they put online.

If girls worry so much about losing so much as a result of their online antics, why do they act the way they do? At the Who’s That Girl: Self-Image in the 21st Century panel in New York City last night, experts from across the media board weighed in on the ever-growing issues at bay. For bestselling New York Times author Peggy Orenstein, she sees disconnect between sexuality and image. She says, “[Girls] see their online profile as a brand, and it’s something they develop. Their friends are telling them if their brand works or not…sexy images get attention.” Another issue that girls face, according to former supermodel Emme, is that they don’t see a diversity of beauty in the media. She articulates, “Because there’s a lack of diverse beauty, girls cannot connect. One image causes a trainwreck of issues.”

As a result of this media brainwashing, girls’ perceptions of what is socially acceptable get warped and affect their relationships with other girls. Even though 56% of girls feel that their relationships grow stronger as a result of social networking, incriminating material can poison girls’ views of one another. Simmons College professor and author Janie Victoria Ward particularly emphasizes this issue between girl hate. Researching a handful of youth organizations in Boston, she says, “I hear an echo from girls about trusting other girls…they worry about rumors and gossip.” Since a girl’s number one fear is being teased or made fun of, Ward adds, “Relationships [should] be nurturing and strong. Teens’ backbiting is heartbreaking.”

Despite all of the troubles teens have to face partially due to social networking, there are ways that teens can boost their self-esteem. The experts weigh in on how others can support the emotional health of girls. Amongst the advice given:

• MTV TJ and blogger Gabi Gregg suggests that mentors and leaders “get between the messages and the girls.”
• Chief executive officer of Mobilize.org Maya Enista want outside parties to partake in the lives of others they care about. She conveys, “Non-authority figures need to play a role. Have them share experiences and how they got through them.”
• Emme wants parents to stop their personal self-loathing before it influences their kids. “Bullying at the core is influencing kids. It does start at home. [Parents] need to watch the words that we use about how we feel and [perceive themselves].”

What can you do?

• Host a lock-in with your friends to kick bad body image to the curb.
• Send a thank-you card to people who have been a positive influence in your life or have helped you through emotional turmoil.
• Like us on Facebook! In the meantime, make sure your page is secure.