The Importance of Attractiveness to Teens

Look at the pages of almost any teen fashion magazine and you'll see that adolescents, at least according to the adults who make the magazines, put attractiveness at the forefront. Whether it's her own appearance when she looks in the mirror, the way that she thinks others see her or how she views other kids, attractiveness is a highly important attribute to the typical teen.

  1. Self-concept and Self-esteem

    • Attractiveness, when it comes to the teen's perception of beauty, starts at the self. While teens are judgmental of other kid's looks, they are also highly critical of their own -- making their own attractiveness a central component of their own self-concept. This includes how your teen sees his face, body and even hair in comparison to his ideal image. According to the pediatric pros at the KidsHealth website, the development of a self-concept and the ensuing self-esteem are often byproducts of puberty, media images, peer influences and family values. As your teen changes -- or goes through puberty -- his self-concept is changing, making the importance of attractiveness prime in his own mind.

    Romantic Relationships

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics, on its HealthyChildren website, notes that the teen years mark the time when kids are developmentally ready to express and receive true love. As your teen enters the dating world, attractiveness will become increasingly important. Not only will your teen want to make herself more attractive to impress a potential partner, but she will also seriously notice just how good looking -- or not -- her suitors are. Whereas you teen used to look at the boy next door as icky, she might suddenly see him as "hot." The attractiveness of a potential mate, while it might seem shallow to an adult, is a primary force that drives a teen to start or continue in a relationship.

    Outward Imperfections

    • As your teen goes through puberty, he'll see an array of physical changes brought on by hormonal changes such as oily hair or pimples. According to the AAP, teen acne is an almost universal problem. Outward imperfections such as acne or oily-looking hair might become a key part of your teen's appearance-related self-esteem. The mere sight of a pimple in the mirror might send your teen into a tailspin -- worrying that his friends, or a girlfriend, will no longer find him attractive. Remind your teen that outward changes and imperfections are normal for all teens, no matter how perfect they seem.

    Weight

    • While being obese is a serious problem for many kids -- obesity affects 12.5 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 years of age in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- weight is a central issue when it comes to the importance of attractiveness for teens. The quest to maintain a certain "attractive" body image, such as the rail thin models shown in fashion magazines or TV commercials, can play a pivotal role in the onset of adolescent eating disorders or body image issues. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders notes that 47 percent of girls in fifth through 12th grades want to lose weight because of magazine model images and 69 percent claim that the photos have an effect on what they see as the ideal or perfect body shape.

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