It isn't just girls these days who struggle to get and maintain a "perfect" body. It's widely accepted that girls face intense pressure to look skinny in American society. Unfortunately, we forget about how boys struggle to get six pack abs and face similar pressures to build muscle. So, why do girls get faced with such pressure even though we acknowledge boys struggle as well?

The majority of women will say they are dissatisfied with their bodies, but, on the other hand, many of them can also tell you what they like about themselves, such as their eyes or hair. This is healthy because it shows they can assess themselves. Having a healthy body image is not about thinking, “I feel good about myself in all these areas,” because having areas for improvement is just the state of being human. According to the current literature, one in four women in Western culture will have an eating disorder — anorexia or bulimia — in their lifetimes.

Young boys, like girls, want to alter their body image in a way that doesn't come natural. It's concerning because we can look at an underweight girl and her parents and doctor might take notice. Yet, we look at a boy who wants to gain weight and workout and see it as relatively harmless. We don't take note that he could be preoccupied and obsessed until something is directly said. Chemicals are easily accessible, but not all of them are harmful. Any use of chemicals are potentially dangerous to your health of course.

Perfection is not truly attainable, yet people strive for it anyways, and for what? To impress that one person? To impress complete strangers out of the fear of being judged? It's not worth it if you're destroying your natural body. You have that body for a reason, the least we could do is treat it with respect.