32
Teens and Body Image
For a class project, two ninth-grade girls from an Australian high school
surveyed their female peers about body image. Their survey found that 51
percent of the one hundred girls who participated said they were unhappy
with their bodies. Eighty-one percent said they would change one or more
aspects about their bodies if they could. Stomachs were the most common
area of dissatisfaction, followed by legs.
Source: Sera Tarpis and Zoe Argent, “Body Image in Teen Girls,” [PowerPoint Presentation], Australian Mathematics Trust,
April 19, 2013.
Tummy
Legs
Face
Breasts
Bottom
Arms
Other
35%
26%
9%
8%
5%
5%
12%
Most Teen Girls Would Change
Something About Their Bodies
•
The University of California–Davis Health System estimates that
85
percent
of teens develop acne.
•
According to the
Dermatology Online Journal
, up to
5.6 percent
of the
population (
1 in 20 people
) is born with at least one extra, or supernu-
merary, nipple, which is often mistaken for a mole.
•
According to Dr. Glenn Braunstein of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,
up to
two-thirds of males
will develop gynecomastia during puberty—
a condition in which one or both breasts become slightly enlarged.
This effect typically disappears within a year.
