I can remember going into the first grade and hearing for the first time that I was "fat." I can remember being in fourth grade and comparing the size of my hips to other girls', then eight grade came and I was on my first "diet." By the time I was 16 years old, I had developed a terrible relationship with food and my body.

From as early as I can remember, my whole existence was based on that body. Getting that body to the “ideal size,” whatever the hell that was. This generation of girls is unfortunately put under a lot of pressure to be sexually attractive, rather than smart, kind or passionate.

As time goes on, this phenomenon gets worse. Nearly every girl I know has suffered from an "eating disorder" or "body disorder" of sorts. Girls I love — my friends and my family. In the United States, 20 million women suffer from some sort of eating disorder once in their lifetime. As for body dysmorphic disorder, about about 1 out of 100 people suffer.

The only time you see young women in advertisements or media is when their body is being flaunted and exposed to anyone who will watch. This, in turn, is what this generation of young men and boys see. This is the expectation that is put on young women my age.

My desperate wish for us as a society is to stop putting young girls under so much pressure to look "this way." To have big boobs and a big butt, but small skinny legs and a flat stomach. Toned arms, no cellulite, clear skin. Long, tamed hair. Oh, and not to mention, a perfect wardrobe and perfect makeup to match.

These unrealistic standards that the media portrays as ideal are not real. They are not attainable and looking this way will most definitely not make you happy. Being who society wants you to be is not going to make you whole. It won't fulfill you. Working out and dieting to the point of misery just for "the body" won't build you a successful career. Looks fade, and they fade quickly. It's one thing about being healthy, but it's another thing to be obsessive.

I really wish I wasn't brought up this way. I wish the girls of my generation weren't brought up this way. It breaks my heart seeing this affect the way we treat ourselves and the way we treat others. Overall, I hate the way it's changing our hearts.

What is going to shine through, over a long period of time, is the way you treat people. The way you laugh and the way you love. That one really insignificant talent you have that you cherish. The way you make people feel, and how many people's lives you were able to touch. Your talents, and the way you are able to change the world. Your heart. Your worth is measured by what is on the inside.

So if I had one thing to say to the girls of my generation; love yourself. For who you are. Unaltered and unfiltered; without endless amounts of exercise, makeup and dieting. Love others passionately and without hesitation. Encourage your fellow female for who she is on the inside, rather than what she looks like on the outside. Be yourself and be happy, whatever that means. Life is too short to constantly worry about how you look.

There could never be a more beautiful you.