Perfect.

Popular.

Sexy.

Flawless.

These were answers to questions I asked middle school girls at a recent conference.

The questions I asked included:

• Who does the world say you should be?
• Who does social media say you should be?
• Who do your peers say you should be?
• Who does your family say you should be?

Every time I do the conference “Who Do You Say I Am” for teen girls, the responses are the same. No matter what part of the country in which they live, messages girls receive tells to be perfect, flawless, popular, and sexy.

These pressures aren’t different from prior generations: they’re magnified and multiplied. Instead of pressure from peers and parents, kids now have additional messages from social media.

They bombard kids.

What’s the message from social media?

“Fake” is the word one middle schooler used. “You have to be fake.”

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