Living in the 21st century, if I want to keep up with my peers, I usually just log into my Facebook account. Scrolling through my dashboard, I see a few changed relationship statuses, some funny comments, and maybe some interesting videos. What I don’t expect to see, though, are the girls my own age staring into the camera, attempting to be seductive by making the notorious faces that my generation refers to as “duck faces,” and wearing scraps of fabric that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Despite myself, curiosity gets the best of me, and I decide to click on the photo. The star of the photo is standing directly in front of the camera, chest and butt being ridiculously flaunted due to an uncomfortable looking pose. She’s scantily dressed in a matching set of undergarments, blowing a kiss to the camera. I’m not exactly surprised to see over 100 “likes,” with comments ranging from degrading compliments given by the male population of Facebook, to extremely harsh remarks about “class,” mostly written by girls.

The problem with this is that it isn’t limited to just Niles West Students. It has become a popular trend to “flaunt what you’ve got” to the world. Part of the problem may be our society; we indulge ourselves in reality TV shows and celebrity gossip, while some of our favorite stars have proven to be poor role models. The controversial Kardashian family is also a contributor to this issue. The drama filled family has had several scandals, including when Kim’s personal calendar was released. The starlet booked a photo shoot in order to shoot 12 playboy style photos of herself, one for each month, to create a birthday calendar for her ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush. What was meant to be a personal gift ended up being something that was distributed to the entire country for everyone to see.

While some girls may defend their scandalous photos as a sign of “confidence,” some situations can easily spiral out of control.

“There’s a difference between being cocky and being confident. Confidence is knowing who you are, and cockiness is shoving it down people’s throats, and that’s what they’re doing,” says sophomore Gretchen Sterba.

A few of the comments on the photo may fuel a young woman’s self esteem to a higher level, but eventually, they will have to face the facts, and find a healthier way to boost their confidence. Social networks may work now, but in the long run, they are more harmful than helpful.

Social worker Jackie Lipka said social networks are a way for an adolescent to explore their identity.

“It’s natural for teens to explore in their developmental phases, and social networks are a good tool for that,” she said.  “Some teens aren’t good at being social in person, but the internet is good for that. The problem is, that some people lose their boundaries on the internet.”

There was a point where these photos were all over Facebook; girls were making obvious statuses about each other without mentioning any names, and even a few opinionated videos were made regarding the hot topic. Sterba said she is unhappy with the way those who have felt victimized are responding to everyone else’s opinion.

“There are other ways to retaliate, and most people are just being immature by indirectly attacking others,” she says.

Not only is Facebook a social network that some girls use to expose themselves, but Tumblr, a popular blogging site, is also used as a medium.

“Girls think that Tumblr is private, and that those types of pictures will be praised, because it’s sort of a trend on there,” says Sterba.

Tumblr is becoming increasingly more popular among teenagers, and the site that was created to express yourself is being abused with teens posting links to entire albums full of inappropriate pictures.

Although the main issue focuses around the female population of our students, boys also significantly impact this topic. Lipka remembers that similar events have happened in the past. She claims that it was mostly over Facebook, but the notorious Formspring and sending picture messages via text were also contributors. When a girl decides to send inappropriate pictures to someone, otherwise known as “sexting,” it is in everyone’s best interest not to hit that tempting “forward” button, and just to delete the photo.

“By policy, we are required to call home and let the parents know. It’s not only a social media issue, but also a government issue, and when we have the information, it is our job to report it,” says dean Mark Rigby.

Some male students say they are unimpressed with this type of behavior.

Freshman Tahir Meeks says that what those girls decide to do is not his business. “I’m not going to be reaping the impacts in the future, and I’m not going to be the one who has a hard time getting into college. They’re not stupid; they know what the consequences are. I’m not saying that they’re bad people, but the  choices that they are making now are going to impact the rest of their lives,” he says.

One would think that posting exposing photos is something to be frowned upon, but on the contrary, some teens have no shame, and their actions are praised for all the wrong reasons. Sterba agrees by claiming that these girls simply want attention, or that there is another issue going on in their life that is preventing them from reaching fulfillment.

Lipka, who gets involved in the social – emotional part of the spectrum when dealing with such issues, tries to help struggling students make better decisions and find a different way to get their needs met by searching for the bigger issue. Oftentimes, families are brought in, and students are encouraged to come to room 1130 for more information.

Lipka also said the Student Assistance Program, run by Karen Wick, is a great group to get involved in if one is struggling with self confidence, inner conflicts, or other issues.