Dear Mr./Madam President,

An issue that is very important and needs to be addressed and corrected as soon as possible is stereotyping. More specifically, the effects that stereotyping can have on teenage girls is what needs to be addressed. I am a teenage girl and know exactly how hard it is to try to navigate the struggles of school, extracurricular activities, and family drama, as well as figure out who I am and what my place in the world is. When magazines, billboards and Hollywood stars pose an impossible body image of young, skinny, tall, girls with beautiful long hair and tight, flawless facial features, average teenage girls start to view themselves as worthless and unacceptable by society. This mentality is what causes eating disorders, and suicide in young people. This needs to change.

One huge problem that develops from stereotyping is eating disorders. Common eating disorders in teens are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating, or overeating. Eatingdisorderhope.com says, “9% of women will struggle with anorexia in their lifetime, 1.5% of women will struggle with bulimia in their lifetime, 3.5% of women will struggle with binge eating.” These percentages might seem small, but as nationaleatingdisorders.org says, “41% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner.” Also, “81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being too fat.”  When children grow into teens and then into adults with the same disorder, the entire generation will be incredibly insecure and ubaleable to contribute to society in meaningful ways. This is why stereotyping needs to be addressed.

Another huge problem that is caused by stereotyping is suicide. Suicide is a growing problem among young people. It's not going away. Something needs to change. Google says, “Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18...More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.” This is a really big deal! If young women don't feel beautiful enough or smart enough or skilled enough, they think there's no other solution than to end a life that is just beginning. As President of the United States, you can inspire change in our society.

In conclusion, stereotyping is a problem that specifically affects teenage girls and needs to be addressed promptly. As president you may not think you can inspire much change in an issue like this, but as Ghandi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This means you can change hearts with the mentality that everyone, especially young women, are good enough. They are not pieces of meat or objects, but real women who have real feelings, and are beautiful no matter what they see in the mirror.

Sincerely,

Magnolia Gray