The Effects of Puberty

Some teens struggle with their self-esteem when they begin puberty. That's because the body undergoes many changes when puberty starts. These rapid changes and the desire for acceptance make it difficult for teens to judge whether they are "normal" when they look at other teens around them. And many people worry about what's normal during puberty. But puberty doesn't proceed at the same pace for everyone.

Puberty usually begins with a growth spurt. Usually, this happens to girls first but guys tend to catch up with their own spurts around the ages of 13 or 14. In general, puberty for both sexes takes between 2 to 5 years to complete but every teen has her own genetic timetable for the changes of puberty.

The sexual development of girls typically starts around age 9 to 10 with the appearance of budding breasts, pubic hair, and later the start of menstruation. Other changes include wider hips, buttocks and thighs, and a greater proportion of body fat. These changes can make a girl feel self-conscious about her body. She may feel like her maturing body draws attention to her, and feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. Or she may feel as though her body is weird and different than her friends' bodies. Unhealthy "crash" dieting or eating disorders can result.

Meanwhile, guys will begin to notice their shoulders getting wider, muscles developing, voices deepening, testicles getting larger, and penises growing longer and wider. Guys who are dissatisfied with their development may become obsessed with weight training and may take steroids or other drugs to help boost their physiques and athletic performance.

The Effects of Culture

Media images from TV, movies, and advertising may affect self-esteem. Girls may struggle with media images of teen girls and women who are unrealistically thin. Many women and teen girls in magazines, the news, or on TV are unusually thin, which may lead girls who are not thin to believe that something is wrong with them. It's important to realize that self-worth should not be determined by body size. It's more important to lead a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating nutritiously than to try to change your body to fit an unrealistic ideal.

Guys can also have body image problems. Although girls may feel pressured to be smaller, guys may feel pressured to become larger and look stronger. Sports and other guys may put pressure on guys to gain muscle mass quickly, which can lead them to feel unhappy or dissatisfied with their bodies.

Sometimes low self-esteem is too much to bear. Instead of getting help, some teens may drink or do drugs to help themselves feel better, especially in social situations.

The Effects of Home and School

Your home or school life may also affect your self-esteem. Some parents spend more time criticizing than praising their children. Sometimes this criticism reduces a teen's ability to have a positive body image - the teen may model her own "inner voice" after that of a parent, and learn to think negative thoughts about herself.

It's hard to succeed at school when the situation at home is tense, so sometimes teens who suffer from abuse at home may have problems in school, both of which contribute to poor self-esteem.

Teens may also experience negative comments and hurtful teasing or bullying from classmates and peers. This can definitely affect a person's self-esteem, but it's important to remember that the people who are being hurtful probably have low self-esteem as well, and putting others down may make them feel better about themselves.

Sometimes racial and ethnic prejudice is the source of hurtful comments. These comments come from ignorance on the part of the person who makes them, but sometimes they can negatively affect a person's body image and self-esteem.

Updated and reviewed by: Kim Rutherford, MD
Date reviewed: October 2001
Originally reviewed by: Jonathan Schneider, DO