There are so many problems in the world today that teenagers are forced to go through, but somehow most of them go unrecognized. The three main concerns that I see my peers facing include Self-image, Peer Pressure, and Fashion!

"Why am I so ugly?"

Upon personal experience, I believe every teen goes through a stage in their life where they struggle with "Self Image." Everyday someone's self-esteem is put to the test to some degree, whether it's from the people around you or you putting yourself down. One problem that is common with most teenage girls, and sometimes younger, is the fact that they think they're too fat. They either don't get the encouragement and self-assurance they need or they are having strong feelings of stress, self-doubt, pressure and confusion therefore, leading to anorexia or most of the time even suicide. In fact, statistics show that suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among those 15-25 years of age.

Peer pressure is one of the worst things that adolescence have to face today. Whether it's regarding sex, drugs, or the need to fit in. Here is an interview regarding peer pressure-

Name: Anonymous
Age: 15
Q: What do you think about peer pressure?
A: It's not a good thing
Q: Why?
A: It is not good to make other people feel uncomfortable with themselves and pressure them into doing things they don't want to.
Q: have your friends ever pressured you?
A: Yes
Q: In what way?
A: My friends tried to get me to ditch class so I could smoke marijuana with them in the school's back parking lot
Q: What did you do?
A: I was tempted at first but I realized after walking half way over there that I was making a big mistake. However, I didn't want to sound like a punk so I just told them I had to go to the bathroom.
Q: In the end did you feel satisfied with the decision that you made?
A: Yes, as a matter of fact, I felt like I just taken a load off my shoulders. Also, I let go of a few people who were stumbling blocks in my road to success.

Someone's always trying to pull you in!

That interview was a simple, yet a perfect example of peer pressure. You have to react at the spur of the moment. It's not like you are going to be told a head of time that you are going to be pressured by your peers and have time to rehearse what's going to be said. If it were like that then yes, everything could be a whole lot easier. I think the interviewee did do an excellent job, I couldn't have done it better myself!

Everyone likes to stay in style or keep up with the latest fashion trend. However, I think there is never going to be just one fashion trend because everyone has their own sense of style. There are many times when people are being made fun of because of how they dress but, if we all dressed the same then life would be boring. When one person takes a simple outfit and "jazzes" it up, it motivates others to expand their horizon. They may get criticized at first, however, in the end that is what makes each and every one of us unique. Even if there was only one style of clothing, it's just our nature to play around with it and make our own style out of that. Now that's what true "Fashion" is all about!