As a teenager, I feel like our thoughts, concerns, and political opinions tend to go unheard, or worse, labeled irrelevant. We do have a reputation of naivety, but them again some “leaders” in our country and missing the big picture. Let’s look at some of the facts: Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders in the United States suffer from an eating disorder. It’s estimated that by the year 2020, there will be 123 million high-paying, high-skilled jobs in America, but only 50 million Americans will be qualified to fill those positions. Lastly, every 2 minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted.

Now that those alarming statistics are on the table, let me explain these issues in more depth: the eating disorder known as anorexia has a twelve times higher fatality rate than that of ALL causes of death for females 15-24 years old. That being said, it’s time to discuss the cause of this disease; society. Unfortunately, our society sends a huge message: unless you’re good looking, you don’t matter as much. Fashion models, magazines, even the television all portray unattainable images of perfection to their viewers. However, what the industry fails to show is the hours of hair, makeup, and even cosmetic surgery put in to achieve “the look.”

Next topic; ask yourself this, what if the cure for cancer is trapped inside the mind of someone who can’t afford an education? Throughout the past 3 decade, our countries literacy rates have decrease and our dropout rates have shot through the roof, leaving intelligent students lost in the shuffle. Here’s a thought, let’s put the politicians paid and promising to give us a better future on minimum wage and see how fast things change.

Lastly, America’s outstanding crime rates; although there’s an average of 207,754 sexual assault victims each year, only 46% are reported to police. 97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail. Why don’t the victims of these crimes come forward? Because our society tells them theirs assault is their fault. Rapists defend themselves by saying, “Her clothing provoked me,” or “She was drunk,” all suggesting that the victim asked for this to happen. Is this fair? Is this considered okay? We’re a country founded on freedom and yet our own citizens feel trapped in their homes. We, the teenagers of today, are America’s future. How much longer will WE let these issues go unsolved right under our noses?