Am I Ugly? Pretty? Fat?� While these questions of uncertainty are obvious signs of low self-esteem, it's not really abnormal for young girls to wonder to themselves every now and then about their physical appearance, especially when they're coming-of-age. But more recently young girls are turning to a more public way of getting validation of their looks that can ultimately disintegrate a girl's self-esteem even further: the internet.
Headlines show that a growing number of tweens and teens are using websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in order to ask "friends �or even worse� complete strangers� about their level of attractiveness. They are displaying their insecurities online in the hopes that someone will tell them that they're perfect the way that they are. Some bluntly broadcast questions like "
Am I pretty? Am I ugly? I can take it you can tell me"; while others choose to post photos (some even with suggestive poses) in order to encourage a flow of steady compliments.
While
studies have already proven that Facebook in particular is a playground for the vain and those who suffer with low self- esteem, these kind of sites can ruin a person's self-esteem even further. How so? People are cruel�sometimes even more cruel that necessary because they can have the power of hiding behind a computer and have the luxury of never being confronted in real life. That said, some feel like they can say anything and instead of giving compliments, some people tend to give negative feedback and harsh criticism that can ultimately destroy an already fragile individual. Take these snarky comments that were posted after an 80 pound, 12-year-old girl who was more than likely seeking affirmation that she was in fact thin and pretty created a
video inviting anyone to state whether they thought she was ugly or not:
"You're pretty�ugly!"
"UR ugly as sh**"
� "Ugly on the inside, because you're an attention wh**e"
� "No you are not ugly but you are a very, very dumb girl!!! You're incredibl[y] stupid"
Mind you, the young girl asking strangers to comment on her looks explicitly says in the introduction of the video "I think I'm ugly and fat"�this comment in itself is an invitation for people to agree with her own sentiments. The video, which was created in December of 2010, has received more than 4 million views. The video may be more than a year old but there are tons of videos just like it floating in cyberspace that are created all the time�and they are not only exclusively made my females either. There are a few
young boys who use the internet to seek affirmation as well.
All of the girls and boys who use social media as an esteem-booster are obviously are perfect just as they are. But often times they forget. It's a parent's responsibility to raise their child in a way that they don�t feel the need to seek public affirmation on the Web. After all, if not corrected, low self-esteem can lead to much serious conditions such as eating disorders, depression or sometimes sadly, suicide. That said, below are some tips that a parent can take to slowly start building their child's self-esteem.
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