“Thin is in!” Everyday social media tells us what we are supposed to look like and what we can and cannot do in order to be accepted. We are exposed to the pressures to be perfect, and this can have a severe effect on the younger generation.

Many celebrities cannot deal with this pressure. Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Corey Monteith, the list of talented actors, models and musicians who have died due to drug overdose is long.

Mr. Benjamin Thompson, Director of Psychological Counseling Service at Williston, explains, “One may use drugs and get into problems with them because there is so much pressure of being in the spotlight all the time and some people. Marilyn Monroe for example, used it almost in a way to self-medicate the anxiety and stress and even the depression that comes with [the sudden fame].”

Twelve percent of Williston students who took a survey said they self-medicate in order to become perfect.

Mr. Thompson adds, “You do see a lot of folks, especially among musicians, who develop these problems because it is part of their lifestyle. All of the sudden you have got a lot of money, people think you are the greatest, everyone is offering you drinks, drugs and some people cannot say ‘no’ to that. Peer pressure plays a big role.”

According to drugs.com, “An overdose might not always be intentional.” The website shows that many notable celebrities have died between 1939 and 20140 due to the mixture of an illegal and a legal drug, or a mixture of drugs and alcohol.

Kaitlyn Veit, an Emergency Room Nurse at Cape Cod Hospital explains, “Mixing two kinds of drugs confuses the body, that is why overdoses can happen so fast.”

The use of drugs can have a big impact on people, especially teenagers. According to Columbia’s University National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse, “students who consider themselves popular were more likely to use drugs, drink or smoke than students who do not view themselves as popular.” Just like celebrities they portrait what is “cool.”

Aliza Bogdanich, a Counselor at Gasnold Treatment Center in Cape Cod says, “The number of patients we get increased by a lot in recent years”

Celebrities are exposed to the pressure to be perfect even more than non-celebrities are, but at the same time exemplify what “perfect” is.

The severe effects of teenagers trying to be like their role models shows the death of Singer Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown. Houston drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel due to an overdose on February 11, 2012, just before the Emmy awards.

On January 31^st, 2015 her daughter Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in a bathtub in her home in Georgia, just like Houston. After almost six months in coma, the 22- year old passed away on July 26^th, 2015.

Houston dealt with drug issues in the past. In 2002, Houston admitted on The Dianne Sawyer show that she “I laced marijuana with cocaine” together with her ex-husband Bobby Brown. On the question why she felt the need to take the drugs, she said, “How would you feel if you disappointed 20,000 people?” This shows that she took drugs in order to deal with the stress that comes with fame.

Furthermore, both mother and daughter suffered from eating disorders. In 2001 Whitney Houston lost an extreme amount of weight due to drug use. Her publicist said, “When she is under stress, she doesn’t eat.”

Brown was even under more pressure. With a mother like Houston, everyone expects her to just be as successful as the “I will always love you” singer. In 2012, at an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Brown said, “I have to carry on the legacy.”

After her mother’s death, Brown lost a lot of weight. She posted a picture of herself in a bikini saying, “I am my mother’s child!”

Mr. Thompson explains, “People’s biology plays a rule [in the development of these habits], some people have a genetic pre-disposition of becoming anxious or depressed.” He adds, “Interpersonal stresses can contribute to that.”

Actress Mary-Kate Olsen was diagnosed with anorexia in 2004. Shockingly, she set a trend with her psychological disorder. Fans positively commented on her twitter account. According to People Magazine one 19-year old girl wrote “I admire her” and added on another picture, “that is what I am striving to look like.”

Roughly 73% of the 47 Williston students that took a survey said that that they wish they were like their celebrity role model. One student tries to “be more attractive and eat less” in order to become like her role model, Kendall Jenner.

This student explains, “The pressure to be perfect for me personally has often meant sleepless nights, many tears, and fingernails so bitten down that they bleed.”

Maya Organ ’17 says, “I have already tried look like [Beyoncé] by losing weight, and just strive to have the perfect body like her.” In order to do so, she “[watches] inspirational weight loss videos.”

Mr. Thompson explains, “Teens are influenced a lot by what they see on TV and in the movies…and they come to see that behavior as normal, when in fact what we are seeing is fantasy that is created. A fantasy of how people act, of what happen”

He adds, “I even heard girls at Williston talk about the thigh-gap trend. This stupid thing causes girls trying to get so thin that when their legs are together, there is a gap between their thighs so that three fingers will fit in between.”

The pressure to be perfect does not only come from social media and celebrities, teenagers are exposed to high expectations at home and in school. One survey respondent says, “I always disappointed myself and my parents.”

Another student says that he self-medicates because he is “constantly overshadowed by [his] siblings.” The student continues, “It is hard to stand out when you live in the shadow of your sibling’s glory.”

Ms. Bogdanich talks about her observations as a counselor, “Talking to families often does not go well. The families ask, ‘why can’t you just stop?’ What most families do not understand is that addiction is a life-long disease.

Many celebrities fight against the pressure to be perfect and promote to the world that individuals are perfect just the way they are.

On February 22^nd, 2015 Graham Moore won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. He committed his speech to all the kids that are fighting bullying and psychological disorders.

The screenwriter says, “When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and different and because I felt I did not belong. And now I am standing [on the Oscar stage]…and I would like this moment to be for the kid out there who thinks she is different or she does not fit in anywhere…Yes you do, I promise you do. Stay weird, stay different and then when it is your turn and you are standing on this stage please pass this message to the next person.”

In effort to promote self-acceptance, Singer Demi Lovato invented the “no-makeup-Monday” hashtag on Instagram. Every Monday the singer posts a picture of herself without wearing any makeup. She captions, “Let’s start a new Twitter/Instagram trend: #NoMakeupMonday… Why? Cause we deserve to show the world our beauty and our confidence!!! #NMM #NoMakeupMonday.”

Olivia Berk-Krauss ’16 promoted the no-make-up-Monday at Williston. She explains, “I want people including myself to feel comfortable in their own skin. No doubt it is easier said than done, which is why I am participating.”

Berk-Krauss adds, “I believe that confronting the issue head on here at Williston will allow more girls to feel comfortable in their own skins, even help the younger girls realize their own beauty before they get caught up in the seemingly endless list of insecurities that society provides us.”

The promotion of inner beauty is efficient. Emma Demerath ’19 explains, “I used to think [being perfect] was possible, but now I realize it is impossible and kind of stupid. Now I just try to be confident, funny, and myself and I have realized so many people like me for that.”

In the last couple of weeks, many Williston students participated in the new trend. Girls and female faculty got out of their comfort zones and left their houses and dorms without any make-up, many for the very first time.

McMeekin says, “I participate in no makeup Monday because I feel like I should learn to be more confident in my own skin.”

Ben Chmielewski ’16 concludes, “I don’t really try to be perfect because nobody is.”

The pressure to be perfect needs to come to an end because it causes psychological disorders that can be prevented. Here at Williston, the community is actively taking steps to change the world for the better.