Being in my last year at school, I have pretty much been through the worst of it. This topic is something I feel is really important and I honestly believe it is a relevant subject that both, teenage girls and boys can relate to. Yes, I am talking about body confidence and self image.
I have wanted to blog about this for a while now as I am also doing it as my Business EPQ project/question. I have spent a lot of time researching and looking into all the main aspects that link with the media and how certain images can affect younger peoples self esteem.
At some stage, everyone has been insecure about their body, its just in senior school everything seems much worse. When I was about 14 (now 16) for a good few months I suffered with mild acne and no matter how many nice comments I got, it was always the horrible ones that stayed in my mind. Its a vicious circle of stress and it can be degrading, but you need to think that it will go away in time. Thankfully, after trying millions of skin products my doctor eventually prescribed me with medication that got rid of the scaring and although I am still on the tablets/cream now, my skin has cleared up and I am much more happier.
I have been a fan of Gok Wan for a longtime, I have seen most of his shows, I took the day off school to go and see him film Clothes Roadshow, I run a fan account on Twitter and I found it particularly interesting to see him do something a little bit different.
Goks new series; The Naked Truth started on Tuesday 7th February, focusing on teenagers and the difficulties they face trying to fit into a society that is full of judgemental people, while covering the pressures to look 'perfect'. It not only showed us, that no matter how hard we try it is impossible to look like the models in the magazines, because they are all computer manipulated, but it also gave us an insight to how other people of the same age group are coping. It was a real eye opener and it certainly changed my perceptions about myself and others.
Magazines are consistently showing weight loss schemes and models who are already beautiful, suggesting that we as a community should follow the example and look similar. This is not the case, so many people are diagnosed with eating disorders each year and trust me, I know a few people who have been through a tough time but with new campaigning methods, such as body confidence lessons in schools, I believe everything will soon change and whatever shape, size, sexuality or nationality you are, you should always be true to yourself because you are unique. Who cares if you're different? The world would be so boring if we were all the same!
Body confidence is spoken about, but it is mostly written about in articles. Although people are aware of the situation, only certain individuals have chosen to act upon it, Goks Teens have gone more in depth and proved the images we see are not always portrayed as they should be. The people working alongside have successfully managed to bring it into the public eye and I for one, am very grateful. Goks Teens is a heart touching show, I felt a sense of relief watching it and I genuinely think this series is going to help so many girls and boys. I am thrilled for Gok that the response he received from everyone was fantastic, it was also nice to see him work alongside his brother Kwoklyn, who helped a young boy Jake find his confidence.
I would like to say thank you to Gok, Kwoklyn and the Body Gossip team who have made me realise how important it is to not underestimate yourself. It is really appreciated and I'm sure many of the teenagers across the country will agree, you're all such an inspiration.
I made a short poem that I wanted to share, I hope you like it;
Pressures to be perfect are playing on my mind,
little do they know its killing me inside,
edits, images and thin models too,
everyone is beautiful, so why change you?
Slim, tall and flawless skin,
Would I really be happy if I was that thin?
Gok has manged to change it about,
getting rid of self hatred, cruel thoughts and doubt,
Kwoklyn at his side giving extra advice,
focusing on the future and the positives of life,
The Body Gossip team are also involved,
introducing new campaigns, classes and goals,
All inspiring and helping us teens,
allowing us to be ourselves and everything in between!
I hope this blog hasn't been too boring, another one will be up soon!
Lots of love, sparkles, glitter & more...
Amber xo
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