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So, I sent out an anonymous survey on Facebook to about 70 girls I know. So far, 19 have responded (I don't know which ones answered but it's personally effected me all the same).

I was saddened but not surprised by the answers the girls (ages 16-21) gave.

Q1: How often do you think about your physical appearance daily?
multiple times
whenever I walk past a mirror
constantly
everytime someone else looks at me
almost all the time
almost always

Q2: Have you ever cried because you felt not pretty enough?
11/19 girls said yes.

Q3: Have you ever not eaten what you wanted to because it had too many calories?
89.5% said yes.


Q4: How does the average supermodel make you feel about yourself?
insufficient
fat
fatter
like i wish i could be as skinny and toned as them
fat
fat
ugly
shitty
huge
the average supermodel is a body image to strive towards, albeit an extreme, unattainable goal
fat
fat
that you need to be skinny to be pretty

Q5: How often do you feel the need to be skinnier?
daily
often
always
every day
constantly
I would love to be skinnier
most days
all the time
daily
frequently
too much
almost always

Q6: Do you feel the media's definition of beauty is fair?
The response to this question worried me most
Only 73.7% said no.
Yet, 89.5% don't eat what they want because it has too many calories. This means that not all these girls agree that the media's definition of beauty is unfair. Is this because they truly think the media is not an influence on the need to be skinny or is because they think that the media's ideal image is really beautiful and what they should strive to be?

These numbers and responses impacted me even more than national statistics. These are girls that I personally know and interact with. And I can think of maybe 8 of the 70 who would still look healthy after losing 10lbs. Yet, almost all of them feel fat, don't eat what they want, and feel the need to be skinner daily.