Adolescences are scientifically proven to be amongst the most impressionable bunch of all. We seek guidance, and inspiration, from all mediums of technology and all figures in our lives. However we aren’t parasites, we are a community. We supply each other with endless material; selfies, mind numbingly boring statuses and tweets that whilst amusing, appear to have no apparent purpose to them. Unfortunately out there on the big bad Internet there are also more negative articles and pictures out there; ranging from Thinspo (thin inspiration, a toxic catalyst to eating disorders) to Wikihow links on cramming for a mock exam in 3 days (which prove to be surprisingly effective). As well as many forms of stimuli, there are many who aid the formation of our views and our life choices this could include anyone from a teacher to someone who you’ve just met at a party. There’s no denying that it isn’t a tough stage in ones life, with insurmountable pressure from school during the week it’s a surprise that come the weekend it’s your own friends who supply the pressure.

I’ve witnessed the tragic demise of many friends due to the revolting concept of ‘thinspo’ and ‘fitspo’. These mainly take form on Instagram and Tumblr accounts and offer anonymity to the ‘author’ of said ‘blogs’ to repost, or post, photos of malnourished girls. As the majority of teenage girls are already insecure due to the epidemic of Photoshop, which creates an unrealistic norm, this can be a final straw for some. By making these ‘models’ with BMI’s in an unhealthy range appear attractive within the touch of a button and therefore with such accessibility they act as constant reminders. Constant reminders to starve one self and constant reminders that this should be the aim, and you must not forget. However, the pressure doesn’t stop there! Teenagers also have a habit of dropping unintentionally mean comments to each other such as offering that it may be wise to ‘try a size up’ or ‘share a salad’. Some girls wouldn’t bat an eyelid at a comment like this but when a friend advised me to get a kids meal at wagamama’s the other week based on the calories not the price I was personally taken aback.

Without making this a recurring feature (and also making my mum believe I’m an alcoholic), giving the nature of a previous blog I cannot discus pressures without covering the substance abuse that is present at every party. We all have that one friend, the one who thinks it’s a great idea to have that shot too many, and although they’re great to have a laugh with they may be your silent murder. I’m an advocate for discovery- this may be through your first cigarette or could be a consequence of your first hangover. On the whole this moment of madness and rebellion offers you a chance to relieve a curiosity and an embarrassing choke after your first drag, or a feeling of nausea after your first drink can be enough to put you off. In this scenario, I you are faced with the only upside of peer pressure which is that it may ‘teach you a lesson’. However some give in to the pressure, for example a few of my friends decided it was the ‘cool thing’ to make Hash Brownies. Instagram (and several messages declaring said friends were “drowning in air”) told me they had the time of their lives. Thankfully, they restricted themselves to playing in the suburb that night so no harm was brought upon them, just a bundle of laughs. The recent ‘Nek Nominations’ offered a chance to encourage your friends to drink themselves into oblivion, film it and stick it on your Facebook for all your friends (and don’t forget your family) to see! What’s not to love, some even featured the consumption of Semen, Blood and Pubic hair! The sane amongst us can see how vulgar that is and see the stupidity, reflected in the statistics of those who died because of it. I did love the indie take on it that graced my timeline, I even got ‘given’ the Last Shadow Puppets, who I adore. I must reiterate the perk to the pressures to get wasted being that if one relieves their urge to rebel when they’re in control, and it’s simply an act of boredom, it can be easier to kick than if you’re in a bad place in your life.

I attend a state, faith, Comp and surprisingly the work ethic of the majority of my fellow peers is strong. To an extent I’m lucky this is the case, as the stigma lies more with the lazy than those who spend the weekends with their heads in textbooks. Unfortunately, for those of us who aren’t the most naturally motivated this can lead to added stress on top of the constant countdown our school supplies. Only 3 months, kids!

Every season the unspoken uniform of the London based teenage girl is updated. It’s safe to assume they’ll be donning a pair of Topshop leggings, Converse (ooh err, a little color variation if you please or the norm Black) and a retrospective youth movement hoodie. It’s a safe bet that the latter will be a bottle green so it’s not as though there’s that much space there for variation, only your selected breed of religious observance. However despite the fact it helps in identifying a NW London girl in a crowd, which is aided by us travelling in packs, it crushes all form of self-expression. It takes a lot of guts to go out wearing a plastic PVC skirt but you know what they say, if you got it flaunt it. Unfortunately the majority of us are not that confident and by conforming to the crowd one feels a reduced sense of risk at being ridiculed and a sense of security at your ability to camouflage into the crowd. It’s hard however to enter the mecca that is Brent Cross and find a single object within the holy temple of Topshop that one of your mates doesn’t own.

On a more serious note, I believe sites such as Tumblr beautify self -harm. They make people think it’s a fun alternative to a fashion statement. However, from what I’ve heard from friends, it’s a far cry from it. I believe if one were to find it as their only outlet of their inner emotions these sites would verge on offensive. A close friend of mine, friend Q, said on the subject "people think it is pretty to be depressed and to cut yourself and that when you do you will find a boy who will kiss your scars and fix you and make everything better and that's not how it works". Her saying this to me really hit home how although it may be a resort for some, we should try to offer those we love help and a hand to hold as opposed to a glorified picture of a Michael Kors watch, a Links friendship bracelet and a few cuts to the arm for them to see.