| Tuesday, 23 September 2008 |
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In a culture in which young women are bombarded with images of
stick-thin actresses, airbrushed models and various other seemingly
"perfect" celebrities walking around in designer clothes and impeccable
makeup, it becomes hard to distinguish the real from the fake.
Throughout their middle and high school years, girls go through
countless obstacles in an effort to try to figure out who they truly are
as young ladies. Although it is no secret those adolescent years are the
hardest for girls especially, in a society that places so much emphasis
on looks, the true test of self-discovery and development comes in the
next stage of a young woman's life – college.
For women, the college experience is truly a unique time. Depending on
the individual, it can be one of the most defining times for a young
adult, during which self-esteem either blossoms or takes a much more
negative spin. Ask any female graduate of college what the experience
did for them and for their self-esteem, and the number of different
responses you will elicit will be countless.
In college, many women are on their own for the first time, and must
learn how to take care of themselves in a public setting as well as
establish their positions within social groups. College can serve as a
platform for women to do wonderful things – to make their voices heard,
to create positive change for causes they truly believe in, to make
connections that will launch their careers and social lives in the real
world – but it can also leave women feeling vulnerable and alone.
Depending on which avenue college women fall into, it is these
experiences that can make or break young women's senses of self-esteem.
Although many women feel pressure to look good in order to boost
self-esteem, this pressure is staggeringly high for college-aged women.
According to an article published on FamilyEducation.com, a family
health and wellness website, experts estimate that anywhere from 13 to
20 percent of college students suffer from diagnosable eating disorders,
and a much greater number exhibit symptoms of abnormal eating habits.
This pressure to look good in order to feel a sense of self-worth
actually takes a huge toll on a woman's self-esteem, as eating disorders
go hand in hand with depression and a skewed sense of one's appearance.
Similarly, many other factors in a college setting negatively affect
young women's self-esteem. According to Robin Sawyer, a professor of
human sexuality at the University of Maryland, studies have shown that
as many as one in four college women say they have been sexually
assaulted while at school, and that one in 15 had been raped. According
to a 1997 article that appeared in the Hartford Courant about sexual
abuse, the effects of the abuse "never go away," and can lead to drug
and alcohol abuse, low self-esteem, divorce and distrust" later in life.
However, as scary as these statistics may seem, it is a young woman's
responsibility to rise above the plethora of negative influences that
lurk on college campuses and to take advantage of the college experience
as a springboard to find one's place in the world. According to a 2002
article that appeared in the Western Herald titled "Women Dominate
College Campuses," many campuses boast higher numbers of female
students, which creates new leadership positions for women and
opportunities to advance in roles that were previously dominated by men.
And, according to a study conducted by the National Survey of Student
Engagement, women are more likely than men to have "high aspirations for
their educations, more likely to enroll in college and to stick with it
until they earn a degree," according to NSSE director Jillian Kinzie as
published on the website for the Women's College Coalition.
With that in mind, now is the best time for college women to take
advantage of the opportunities on campus to better themselves and to
create positive self-esteem. College women must realize that they are
smart and beautiful, and must rise against stigmas that plague campus
life. Instead of allowing college to set women back and to damage their
self-esteem, young women must use college as a positive springboard for
their futures.By Kelly Whittaker
Recent College Graduate |
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Girl Power
Women
Women in Management
Weight Loss
Personal Image
posted by The White Dove Partnership @ 20:24  |
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