You wake up two hours before school to shower, fix your hair, or spend 30 minutes putting on 15 different makeup products. You skip breakfast. The stress of looking “okay” or “good enough” weighs inside of your mind.

People use their appearance for multiple reasons. Some say it’s used to express identity, get the attention of the boy or girl you like, or to make yourself feel a little bit better about yourself. But for some, it can also be a source of anxiety. For some, the beauty market and store ads are too much to compare to, so society’s “look-book” of perfection is all they can think about. These thoughts can start as early as first grade. A GHS junior, Maeve Supilowski, says that “the first time I noticed myself thinking about what I looked like was in first grade. In class, we had to weigh ourselves for gym. After, I and my friends were talking about our weights and I found myself comparing my weight to theirs. It wasn’t that great of a feeling.” Why should a first grader care about how much she weighs? Well, because society has taught her to do so.

The saying “look good, feel good” motivates plenty of people to get off the couch and maybe head to the gym. It is scientifically proven that exercise releases endorphins that make your mood improve. However, some people take this advice too literal. People can distort this saying into something unhealthy very easily by over-exercising and restricting their food in order to look good. It can be mangled into a way to over-exercise and actually, begin to feel like crap.

With stick thin models to curvaceous Nicki Minaj, there is a gray area where most humans do fall. The world is not black or white, thin or fat. How is it fair to judge ourselves to two extremes? The word “big” always comes into play. If your nose is too big, your personality is too big, or even your teeth are too big, it becomes an insecurity causing stress. Maddy Jeskey, a GHS senior, says “Some insecurities are just more people oriented. A lot of people are insecure about their weight, a lot of people are insecure about, you know, if you have big features, like if your nose is big or something like that.”

Even if we try to discard our insecurities, society points them out anyway. Studies show that there are more advantages to being good looking to other people than we would normally guess. It is said that “attractive children are more popular among teachers and classmates, attractive applicants are more likely to receive job opportunities or raises in the workplace, in court, attractive people are found guilty less often, and overall, attractive people are just thought of as more intelligent,” according to The Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC). No wonder we stress about being attractive! It could be our grades or our jobs on the line! How did beauty get to define intelligence? It turns out that beauty has always had its stigmas. Even if we travel back centuries, the stigmas towards appearance for men or women stay prevalent. Think about a time before Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. The look that was in before them was stick straight hair, along with a stick straight body. But when other bodies of power and popularity came into play, Kylie and Kim’s body types are more popular than ever.

“It’s up to society, ethnicity, weight, what activity you do, hair color, age, etc. to decide how confident you feel at a time in your life,” Laura Jaramillo, an Eating Disorder Therapist, says. “The models you see on the runway are the 5% who are able to achieve those high risk beauty standards, men or women.”

Although the standards keep rising and the weights keep dropping or the clothes keep changing, there is always a way to look into the mirror and be happy with yourself. Realize that everyone is different; every body-type is different. It’s all genes, activity level, wealth, and age. Appearance is only one part of the equation that is your life. Do not forget the other variables.

Jaramillo adds as a tip for everyone, “Teenagers as well as adults often forget what life is really about. It’s not about if you have the best hair, or big arms, or a totally swoll six pack. It’s about making yourself happy, instead of miserable.”