Body image

jim, 18
i love a fuller figure women!! better than a skinny rake who looks like shes going to break!!!

Sania, 16
I'm always saying im gonna go on a diet, but i nvr do, i love my munchies.i'm a size 12, and i don't like it. I've always been really skinny, but these past few months i've put on weight really fast. i love wearing dresses, but nowadays i always look FAT in them.i wish i was strong anough not to care!!

Aurora, 14
I really do agree with this page, the media make such a bad impression on everyone! People think that skinny orange barbies are what they are supposed to look like! I think they should go and eat a few pies, to be honest! I am a size 8 and I hate my stomach and my legs, but dieting just doesnt do anything for me! The only way to lose weight safely and properly is to do loads of exercise (which I don't lol!) and eat healthily! I get home at 6pm and get the bus to school at 7:15, so I don't have time to do much exercise, but I just accept that I am who I am! I know I would love to have slim legs and a flat stomach, but I have a slower metabolism so its harder to get this! Love yourselves everyone and be happpy that you are alive! lol xxxxxx

holly, 15
i think as long as you are healthy it doesnt matter if youre skinny or not. im a size 8 my friend is naturaly skinny and smaller than size 6 so i used to think i was fat compared to her but its better to have a little bit of fat on you than ppl who starve themselves. not that my friend does btw.

Beth, 12
EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UGLY. DON'T HIDE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS BECAUSE ITS WHAT MAKES YOU YOU. PLUS WHO LIKES THAT SHOW OFF PRETTY GIRL IN YOUR CLASS? SHE SUCKS!

Alice, 14
When I was younger, I developed an eating disorder because I was being bullied. I thought it was because of the way I looked that people bullied me and this was probably somewhat true. But looking back on old photographs makes me so happy to be curvy and healthy now.So be happy how you are, don't change for anyone, if you feel you need to change, then do it for you.

Lozz, 15,
I hate my size 12/14 shape.. it controles my life !! i have to wear bagy, long clothes so i dont feel like everydoby is looking at me funny, iv tryed diets but my friends and family tell me im being stupid, am i being stupid ??

Michelle, 16
I've tried diets before, and just stopped them after 2 days! I've learnt that I could never go on a diet again, I love my food too much! And that you can still eat what you want as long as you have exercise. I've also realised that I really can't be bothered with excerise! But having PE twice a week and just doing about 5/10 minutes of aerobics at home whenver i feel like it helps me stay in good shape, and that you can still do leg exercises when you're lounging out infront of the tv, all you do is lie on the couch, and stretch one leg out as far as you can and keep moving it different directions every now and then. stretch your leg as far up as you can. Then change legs. I end up doing this without realising lol.And, instead of running just do star jumps, it's much easier lol

melissa, 16
well im not really one to say we should all be happy in our own skin , because the in reality no one is but the thing to remember is that everyones perception of you is different , you might hate your nose , but the cute guy walking past will think youre hot : )

Louise, 14
I'm a size 10 and I'm happy with the way I'm but like most girls I'd like to change a few things! Also like I've just read these celeb mags make me feel depressed sometimes when I see "perfect" images of celebs. But still us girls keep buying these mags. Why? I just don't understand myself sometimes. But I'd just like to say that nobody is perfect not even those airbrushed pictures you see. :D xxx

Sarah S, 15
I have an eating disorder, it's a living nightmare, I only ever think about food and weight and calories, I hate it, please protect yourself, in any way you can...

Amanda, 20
i always want to be thinner. i would be more confident if i think myself in the mirror looks good. however i can't help myself to delicious snacks.

lyndsey , 15
i am a size 10 i was planning to go on a diet to get to a 8 but loads pepole sayed you dont need to go on a diet

Jodie, 13
i'm really unhappy with my weight. i cant even go out on weekends becase of my figure. my mum says that the fat will just go away but i dunno if shes right.

helen, 11
i hav a 14/16 size body and now im starting to like my figure ok i would like to be skinnier but u learn to live with it because u cant do to much about it at age 11 everyone just needs to be happy with their figure and stopworrying about it!!!!

heather, 15
i used to hate my curvy size 14/16 figure but im learning to love my figure i have so much love so who cares if im curvy? not me

ollie, 16
I'm not going to stand here and say that we should all be happy in our own skin, lets face it everyone is going to crack at one point or another, i'm a size 8 but inside i feel like i am carrying around 4 bags of spuds, i know how it feels when u see the more popular, pretty and perfect girls (sweet P's) just think there has to be something their missing out on. and i don't mean choclate. self-control, it could go either way....it all depends on what way you want it to go. i know that i want to lose weight would you say that makes me a push-over and a sucker for vic beckham? nah these are ur bodies do what u want with them, as far as i know you only have one life and you should live it what ever way you please.

brooke, 16
im nearly 6 ft and i hate may body shape but we learn to deal with it and if you dont love your self you dont love the life your living and id guys wont you they will accept you for who you are nothing less

Ellie, 12
i am naturally thin and to be honest i dont really enjoy it. people always tell me they are so jealous of my body. i'd hate to think i made someone else feel bad about themselves becasue of MY body. its almost like blackmail. i cant be me because someone else might get hurt. to be honest i dont actually find 'thin' or 'fat' people attractive because of figure. i like the sparkles of eyes and smiles and welcoming faces. i find that my friends look more like people than super models. i'm happier that way aswell. it makes me feel more comfortable!

Tasmin, 14
Im happy with my bodyshape, but as you said, I would like to change a cuple of things..xo

Jill, 19
Being 11 stone at 5'5" I will be the first to say that it is a downer to see articles in magazines portraying all these unrealistically thin bimbos having fun, sending the message that unless we look like that we can't do the same because we're not skinny enough. But are many of us as fat as we think we are? what is "fat" anyway? for example a woman who is a size 14 would probably consider herself "fat", but to a woman who was once a size 20, she'd be pretty proud to be a size 14. Also, a girl who was once a size 4 and went up to a size 8 would probably think she got "fat"...but of course we all know a size 8 is NOT fat. So do you see what I mean? If you struggle with your body image you will never think you're thin enough. Just keep a weight that YOU can maintain and forget about these airbrushed models in mags and be happy!

Kaia, 15
I dont go on major diets, I just make sure I eat right and get enough excercise. Its easy enough to do - You dont have to look like a Celeb to be pretty.

joseph, 13
i am verry anoied because every one belives that ONLY GIRLS are alowed to be unhappy with there body , but i can tell you that both BOYS and GIRLS are allowed to be unhappy with the way we look but boys just take a diffrent way of dealing with it.

Dani, 15
i went on one of those crash diets when i was a size 10, i then soon become OVER skinny, fitting in to size -6. im now a size 8, but i prefered being a size 10, as most he boys i went out with said that they liked my womanly curves x

Sarah, 17
well i love myself just the way i am yeh i may be curvy and a bit flat chested but im glad i have everything an average person has like think about people who are born without things my sister has a friend who was born without a hand but she still feels good about herself she has a boyfriend and a daughter now and she is pretty

joe, 17
i was looking around and my mates had facial hairs and i did not,,i waited and then it came gradually,,do not rush puberty

Charlotte, 14
I find it isulting that people think girls are all so easily influenced by the media. Just becasue i see attractive women in magazines, it doesnt make me want to change my body, or make me depressed.

Jacqueline, 15
I totally agree with this page, it has helped me alot to understand i should be proud of what i am. I think the media and magazines these days are showing way too many "super hot" and "skinny" models/celebs. I think they should show more curvy girls and how these not so thin women can actually be more attractive than the hotties in the mags. I agree that all these fake accesories being used by the mag girls compares them 100% to being a "doll", without all this plastic being put on them and airbrushing would make us all realise how we are not much different to what they are. We shouldnt look up to them as somthing we should try and be like, we should love ourselfs for who we are and in the future, you will realise other people respect you for who you are, whether your super skinny or as most people call it "curvy". Teenagers especially these days i think worry about being good enough for the boys, whether he'll like you, whether your nice and slim to suit him! Later on in life, you'll find out the guys who are like that arent worth going for. You will find some1 who loves you and loves you for WHO YOU ARE ... I hope this helps x x

maya, 16
everyone can not be the same. We should deal with and embrace the way we are and be thankful that we are all differnt in our own ways.Being fat is a bad thing! Lose weight ok!!! Don't be upset cause your fat and just look at yourself. your wasting time!! Go to the gym now and just lose weight and stop nagging. ur sickin my life.

Lil Fred and KCL, 14
KCL- i think that you shouldn't really care about what other people say, it's all about the way you think. Lil Fred- Everyone must be different. If we were all the same then the world would be boring and repetetive for everyone on earth.

Shannon, 12
I hate how loads of girls at my school at my age are on diets , I mean , it changes my life ... compared to them I look fat and ugly but I learned thats what everyone thinks about themselves. To boost my self-confidence and self-esteem I listen 2 beautiful by Christina Aguilara... EVRY1 is beautiful no matter wot evry1 else says. x

mollie, 15
i think that the media and the celebs have a HUGE part to play in the body image of us teenagers, i mean everywhere we go it's all to do with girls being skinny and it doesn't help us cruvy girls!coz i also have a negative body image & even when i think i've finally gotten over it, the celebs just get skinnier & skinner.i hope that more curvacious girls are shown in the future.

Stacey, 16
Im just recovering from anorexica, and i always wanted to look like a model in the magazines and on the tv, but we have to be real, hardly anyone can be like them, espically if they dont have plastic surgery, but whats the point x

Daniel, 17
Even though im at lad, and alot of people dont believe that lads should go through this, i did! And i am doing an acting show where we have to show our bodys off, and ive got slight man boobs! But im going to be proud of it! x

Sarah, 16
Reading that article I know how easy it is for teenage girls to be manipulated in to thinking that these celebs are the picture of perfection. I used to be the same but since I did work experience in a photography studio and was shown the art of airbrushing did I realise how easy it is to completely change the celeb and that most of these people probably dont look anything like that in person,it's understandable that no woman especially teenage girls are ever going to be happy with their appearences but don't compare yourself to celebs their look is totally unattainable.xxx

Louise, 18
As a recovering anorexic I would say that the media has a smaller part to play in peoples lifes than many think. As eating disorders and body issues are often the result of low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can be caused by a number of things bullying,emotional upset and family problems etc. Although the media can soemtimes make out that people have inperfections it is not magazines alone that are responsible. I think it is also due to how peopele feel and how they are treated by people they know. I think there needs to be a change in the way eating disorders are seen, as they are caused by emotional distress, a feeling of worthlessness and not the result of wanting to look like the airbrushed models in the magazines.

Corinne , 15
I have read your article and i believe that buying all of these products does make you measure up being a plastic doll but i buy clothes i feel comfortable in and pink and bright coloured clothing and i get called barbie by people wo hate me but they are only the people who think they are "popular" so i have to ignore them. But as long as people feel comfortable in what they are doing you have to leave them to it and if its hurting them try and help them but if they dont listen they will have to learn their own mistakes so there would be nothing you could do. x

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