A teenage girl looks in the mirror. She hates what she sees. Her face is not the right shape, her skin is not the right colour, her breasts aren’t the right size, she’s not “thick” enough. She’s just not the right look. She’s ugly, She’s God’s mistake. Everyone looks better than her; or so she believes. She turns from the mirror, filled with self-loathing. A teenage boy looks in the mirror. He hates what he sees. His face is too big, His jawline isn’t sharp, He’s too skinny; his muscles don’t show. He’s too short, he gets laughed at for it. He’s just not the right look. He’s ugly, He’s God’s mistake. Everyone else looks better than him; or so he believes. He turns from the mirror; hating himself. The above scenarios can be related to by many teenagers as well as adults. These feelings are brought about by the influence of the media, and the actions of those around them. “You’ve put on weight”, “You’re too skinny”, “You’re short”, “She’s too dark”; these are common phrases ...
In the history of the world, the human race has borne witness to countless epidemics of sicknesses. In the 21 st century, as the world develops at a rapid rate; a new epidemic threatens humanity. A subtler yet extremely detrimental disease: suicide. You walk past hundreds of faces each day. Have you ever stopped to think that some of those people are contemplating to end their lives? Or that some of them have already tried? Suicide is growing at an alarming rate worldwide. The World health organisation estimates that approximately one million people end their lives each day. Estimates say that 1 person loses their life to suicide every 40 seconds. If it takes you 5 minutes to read this article, approximately 8 people somewhere in the world have ended their lives. The issue of Suicide only becomes more worrying when it is revealed that suicide is the second leading cause for death in young individuals. With statistics the likes of which have been mentioned above; it is clear ...