In society little girls often are told early on to look pretty or to behave a certain way to fit the society’s ideal of what it means to be female; this can only become more of an issue once those little girls become high school students.

In high school girls learn to realize their potential and to compete as equals with boys, yet at the same time girls can feel focused on other things such as being insecure about how they look. This leads to a lack of confidence, not just about their looks, but also about their abilities in sports and academics. They doubt themselves and doubt the people who complement them.

“I feel insecure because I am very tall and feel taller than other people, which makes me feel awkward because guys are supposed to be taller and the guys I like are usually shorter than me,” said Masada Hamilton, a sophomore.

Even if a girl does consider herself beautiful, people would call her shallow or stuck up. Girls should realize that it is not selfish to love yourself. Society is presenting girls as this weak, self- doubting person until the guy comes and saves the day. Popular song lyrics and movies are evidence of this, in which the girl is rarely portrayed as a confident person.

There seem to be unspoken rules that girls need to follow in order to be accepted in the society, for example putting makeup on. Girls are expected to put on makeup for certain occasions to look “presentable”.  Makeup should be a choice, not a requirement. Still, most girls do feel the pressure to wear makeup.

“It’s a certain skill that you need to know in life. If I want to go to a party or an event and I want to look presentable, then I need to know how to put on makeup,” said Madiha Amir, a sophomore.

Teachers try to help students that struggle with self esteem.

“Stop reading magazines; stop watching T.V.,” said Linda Serafini, a fashion teacher at HEHS. “Stop comparing yourself and start looking at the mirror because real beauty is from the inside and it comes from the heart.”

Media messages can impact a girl’s internal battle with herself. Various mediums, from television to magazines, portray unrealistic, often Photoshopped faces and bodies, which can create insecurity for young women.

“People need to stop listening to the media. Everybody wants to live up to famous actresses and models, but it’s unrealistic,” said Erin Hettinger, women’s studies teacher at HEHS. “The media need to portray what is real, not what only one person can achieve. There needs [to be] more representation of what real people look like.”