Have you noticed recently as you scroll through Instagram or Tik Tok, there are videos and posts of women lifting weights? (question) This change in social media happened during the past few decades and has grown tremendously with the rise of the body positive movement. On Tik Tok, many user accounts are dedicated to the body positive movement by promoting healthy eating and exercise. Some of my favorite Tik Tokers are Sienne Gomez, Taylor Olsen, and Brittani Lancaster. They serve as social media influencers promoting healthy eating and exercise, which is amazing because it is easier for girls including myself to find strong women to look up to as role models. This trend can help to change society’s beauty standards and show that all different kinds of bodies are beautiful, regardless of a women’s appearance. In the past, men have always dominated the fitness industry, not only in professional sports but in bodybuilding, weightlifting competitions, and college athletics. Women are reaping the same benefits as men from exercise and weight training. By building strong muscles, women are not only becoming healthier by lowering their stress levels but they are also improving how their body systems work together. Teenage girls should be encouraged to lift weights because it is extremely beneficial for both their mental and physical health. 

By lifting weights, girls can build confidence, independence, and see a considerable improvement in their health. I believe lifting weights can significantly increase girls’ self-esteem and improve their body image. Spending time in the weight room helps girls to focus less on their appearance and more on what their body is capable of doing, how much weight they can lift, or goals, like their first pull-up. Being strong can make girls more independent and can make them feel more comfortable being alone. This will allow for teenage girls to grow up to be more self-sufficient and not feel the need to rely on men to feel safe in a crowded city or living alone. Weight lifting has many benefits to physical health as well. By lifting weights, girls can achieve stronger bones, better posture, a longer life span, and better performance in sports. I personally have had experience with weight lifting, helping with my recovery from my knee injury. I found that the years I spent doing PT for my knee didn’t produce the athletic results I wanted, but with weightlifting was able to see results. Teenage girls are prone to knee injuries, and I think this can be prevented if more girls lifted weights from a young age. (c+r) Nevertheless, many critics of women will argue that lifting weights is for men and that doing so will make girls appear “bulky”. What this argument fails to consider is that the critics focusing on young girls’ aesthetics are the real issue, and exposes the deeper problem of sexism that is still prevalent in girls’ sports today. How sexist (short sentence). Therefore, breaking past these sexist beliefs is important for the next generation of girls, and lifting weights becoming a norm for athletic adolescents (epithet) is a key step. Stereotypes about women must be changed in order for more teenage girls to get the physical benefits of weight lifting. 

 The benefits of participating in sports, and specifically weight lifting, go beyond just the physical health benefits; weightlifting can help reduce stress and anxiety from everyday life. Relieving stress is especially important because of this past year, with the Covid-19 pandemic, Americans have reported their stress levels to be at an all-time high; having an outlet to release this stress is key to maintain mental health. Weight lifting as a form of exercise also affects the release of endorphins, a neurotransmitter in your brain; they help block the pain receptors in your brain and help to decrease anxiety, stress, boost your mood and your self-esteem. Lifting weights has completely changed my views on mental health. It has helped to give me an outlet to deal with stress from school and has allowed me to develop a stronger relationship with my mom which positively impacted my mental health. (concession)Admittedly, not everyone will have access or the resources to lift weights, but everyone has access to household items that could be used in place of traditional dumbbells. Finding objects like laundry detergent bottles, a gallon of water, or even fill a backpack with cans or heavy rocks. The benefits of working out and specifically lifting weights are vast, and it is essential the next generation of girls understand the importance of mental health. 

Clearly, by encouraging teenage girls to lift weights, they will live happier and healthier lives. (so what) Although the importance of weight lifting for teenage girls may seem to concern only a small percentage of individuals, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about the physical and mental health of the next generation of girls. Starting healthy habits like lifting weights at a young age is key to maintaining a healthy life as an adult, and increases the likelihood that teenage girls will continue these healthy habits. Stressing the importance of mental and physical health to the next generation is more important than ever as Americans’ average stress levels continue to rise. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a lot of stress and changes to everyone’s lives, specifically teenagers. If more teenage girls took up weightlifting, it would positively impact physical and mental health, creating a healthy coping mechanism to help them better deal with stress throughout the rest of their lives.