
One thing that everyone can agree on is that we all want to feel confident in our own skin. Serena’s image, When Little Girl Gets Called Fat, tells a story of a young girl who is embarrassed of her body. She feels like she is not good enough and has come to the point where she is willing to hurt herself. By taking a deeper look at the image, we can see that the young girl is not happy in her own skin. The pictures of the celebrities, the girl’s posture, and the scissors have a huge effect on the message of the image. Society has turned this girl into someone that is very sad because she doesn’t fit the standards of perfect. 

There are no written words in the image, but the pictures of the celebrities surrounding the girl tell a story within themselves. These pictures symbolize the standard that girls are expected to look like today. Society has turned young girls’ minds into believing that they have to look like a Barbie in order to be good enough. Girls are now forced to feel the pressure of having the perfect weight, the perfect skin, the perfect hair, and so much more. This standard is not fair and it should not be the reality that girls are having to face. Although there is one big photo of a celebrity in the girl’s lap, there are also many more surrounding her. This could symbolize the way that the girl feels attacked.  She feels like there are always other girls that are around her that are better than her. She also feels the constant pressure of having to look like each of them because if she doesn’t, she won’t be accepted. Being perfect is simply not possible so why should we have to strive to be it? 

The young girl in the image is slouching on the ground of a dark and dirty place. Her hair and skin look dirty and she looks like she has stopped taking care of herself. The dark and dirty background could symbolize the way that she feels about having to take on the pressure of being perfect. It has made her go into a dark state of mind and has also made her feel like she is not worth anything. This could also lead to the girl to feel like there is no need to take care of herself because no matter what, it won’t be good enough for society. 

Lastly, the scissors in the girl’s hand show that she is willing to hurt herself in order to be accepted. She feels like she is too fat, when in reality, she isn’t fat at all. The constant pressure of having to be this thin, curvy, and perfect girl has turned her into someone who she is not proud to be. The girl in the image looks like she is hurt, sad, and tired. She is hurt because she does not understand why she can’t be happy in her own skin. She is sad because she knows that no matter what, if she isn’t the perfect size, she won’t be accepted. She is also tired because of the constant effort to be society’s definition of perfect. The girl has probably done everything she can in order to be accepted but nothing has worked for her. She has come to the point where hurting herself is the only way to fix the problem. She has the scissors in her hand, ready to cut off any excess fat that she doesn’t want. The scissors could also symbolize more than cutting off her fat. The constant pressure could make this young girl go even further than cutting herself. This pressure could even send this young girl into having suicidal thoughts. No girl should be pushed to this point just because she isn’t “perfect”. 

The story behind the photo is that the girl in the middle has been traumatized by the constant pressure of society. She has been told she wasn’t good enough. She has been told she isn’t thin enough, pretty enough, or acceptable. She has taken matters into her own hands and has gone into a dark state of mind where she is willing to hurt herself. She isn’t happy with the way she looks because of the way society looks at her. Society has turned her into a sad girl who feels like she isn’t worth anything. Sadly, this is true today. Many young girls and even older women are forced to feel the pressure of being perfect. We are expected to look like an ideal Barbie. This is sad because this should not be happening. Each girl is unique in her own skin and should be happy with the way she looks. Society should not get to have a say in what is perfect and what is not. If a girl is happy with her body, then she is perfect. Perfection should not be defined by what society thinks. Everyone has their own definition of perfect and if one definition doesn’t match the next, who cares? If we are constantly being persuaded to be something we are not, we will never be happy. Women need to stand up and make a stand to show that it shouldn’t matter what society thinks we should look like. If we are happy with our bodies, then that is all that matters! 
