Are The Girls Alright? Youth at YMCA discuss unnattainable body image, feeling unheard

This story is part of a series created to elevate the voices of young people in collaboration with the Blue Water Area YMCA. These stories are based on listening sessions at the Y and are independently reported by The Keel with assistance from the YMCA.

At a recent Voices of Youth session at the Blue Water YMCA, girls ages 13-15 raised concerns about being taken seriously and unattainable body images.

The girls felt that when they expressed their feelings, they were dismissed by adults. They felt that in the classroom, boys’ ideas were given more relevance and allowed to control the discussions most of the time. 

In a 2021 report by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 60% of girls had experienced extreme feelings of hopelessness and sadness. 25% of girls had considered and planned suicide. 

“I do think the girls get overlooked,” says Anna Bauer, an alternative education teacher at Landmark Academy. “When we are playing classroom games, they will often pick up their phone and scroll instead of participating. If asked to put their phone away, they just quietly sit and still do not actively participate.” 

The girls also shared how society bombards them with unattainable images of how they should look, stressing that females should be nice, pretty, and perfect.

Jane, one of Bauer’s students, believes that society pressures girls into following what is perceived as beautiful and nice. 

“I feel like people perceive you differently if you are not attractive in their eyes,” she says. “People also judge girls by their personality and automatically think you are weird if you are quiet.”

Society is more likely to use the terms beautiful, pretty, and cute to describe girls, while boys are likely to be called cool and genius. These can enforce gender stereotypes where girls are conditioned to be sweet, nurturing, and wear attractive clothing.

“Sometimes, it makes me so angry as a girl that people are so quick to judge you if you don’t look or act a certain way or pour ten pounds of makeup on your face just to go to school,” Jane says. 

To empower her girl students, Bauer hosts speakers, including local female business owners and an accountant, to teach the girls about budgeting and other tools they need to succeed. She has also taken them on field trips to St. Clair County Community College (SC4) to show them career options after high school.

“I try to convince the girls they have a future and build their confidence. Some think they will just work minimum wage forever and do not see a point in getting an education,” Bauer says. She adds that she has been surprised by how many of her students don’t know about “real-world” things, such as how to get a well-paying job or how to create a budget.

With all the challenges the girls face, they are still hopeful. When asked what they wanted to do after high school, all of them said they wanted to go to college and make a difference in the world. And Bauer has seen the impact she’s had on her students.

“There were two girls who were facing a number of challenges in their personal lives. Both are now taking courses at SC4 and one is in the X-ray technician program,” Bauer concludes.

Photos by Leslie Cieplechowicz.