Moving from the Mid-West to Florida, Kathryn was not ready for changes; a new school, a new set of friends, a new house and what would come to mind later a new body.

Eating disorders have become even more common today than they ever have been. Girls ages thirteen to thirty worry about their weight and body image. The American society forces the thought that having a small waist, a thigh gap, and color bones and hip bones that stick out will make you more attractive or pretty. Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder have taken over minds of teenage girls.

Magazine models, that many girls base bodies, or what they think bodies should look like off of, are normally or almost all edited in their photos. Models and celebrities don’t even look like they do in those photos. Many editors in use magazines use photoshop to make models appear thinner than they actually are, thighs are made smaller, waists are slimmed, and arm fat is erased. The biggest misconception to do with eating disorders is you must be skinny. Women and girls are told the ideal body is the ones on billboards. Females should not compare themselves to an image that have been altered. You are real, those images are not.

Kathryn moved from Colorado to Florida when she was just starting high school. Trying to fit in can be difficult when not only moving at her age but across the country. Kathryn was normally well liked. Being athletic, outgoing and attractive, she fit in easily. But somehow she felt she wasn’t thin enough, good enough and started comparing herself to the other girls at school. Kathryn then stopped eating. She started to think if she were thinner life would get better, or someone would notice her more. Kathryn felt like she had control, while other girls didn’t , still eating. She didn’t communicate with her family about all these thoughts, nor any of her friends. Kathryn didn’t get help until she was sixteen years old.

Females shouldn’t have the constant thought about their weight. Girls should be concerned about their health but not what bones are visible. Just the little things said to a girl about her body image could change her whole opinion about herself.