A recent report conducted by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund has found that Philadelphia is among the most the nation’s leading cities in terms of teenage girls who suffer from poor self-esteem and self-image issues - and engaging in self-harm behavior or eating disorders as a result.
The study ranks the City of Brotherly Love in the top ten among U.S. Cities for “the highest percentage of teens engaging in negative behavior when feeling badly about themselves.”
Specific survey data from the study included the following results:
- 68 percent of girls in Philadelphia believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members
- In Philadelphia, the 54 percent of girls reported engaging in negative activities, such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking, or drinking, when feeling badly about themselves
- 45 percent of teen girls in Philadelphia admit to talking badly about themselves
- 11 percent of teen girls in Philadelphia resort to injuring themselves on purpose or cutting when feeling badly about themselves
- 18 percent of teen girls in Philadelphia practice disordered eating, such as starving themselves, refusing to eat, or over eating and throwing up, when feeling badly about themselves
Although the rates found in Philadelphia teens are among the highest in the country, the numbers are consistent with those found at a national level. That means that our country is in the midst of a serious crisis. Teenage girls and young women are constantly bombarded with images of unattainable body types. As a result, many will develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia that can threaten the long-term health and well-being of the individual. Parents are urged to find counseling and treatment for their daughters so that they can rebuild their health and self-esteem while in the care of experienced professionals.
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