I remember when I first started to take notice of what I look like. I was in second grade and I noticed my body did not look the same as other girls in my class. From then on, I put thought into everything I wore, making sure it was baggy and hid what I looked like. I practically lived in sweatshirts and loose pants out of pure insecurity.

I started to associate my body with my health in seventh grade. Just because I was not a certain size, I immediately thought that I was unhealthy. Now, I realize that health is a general term and can be seen from different aspects: physically and mentally, not just body shape or size.

According to the United Nations census of August 2018, there are 7.6 billion people in the world, so it is not surprising that everyone is shaped differently.

Some people may have a very healthy diet, but are still bigger due to their genetics or the way their body carries weight. Some may be a lot skinnier, but may have an eating disorder that doesn’t allow them to receive all of the nutrients their body needs. Society has an issue with assuming someone’s state of health just by what they see on the outside.

Physical appearance becomes one of the main focuses for a person and can truly destroy their mental health. They may start to eat too much unhealthy food, or restrict themselves from eating depending on what they see when they look at themselves.

According to adolescentgrowth.com, about 5.4 percent of children ages thirteen to eighteen will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. That is around 2.2 million adolescents.

I believe that  being healthy all starts with one’s mental state. Society needs to get rid of the idea that someone’s physical and mental health is determined strictly on what someone’s body looks like. People need to start focusing on what they view as healthy rather than what the rest of the world views as healthy. As long as someone is accepting and pleased with who they are and what they look like, then they are just as healthy as anybody else.