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Body image often tops the list of what has the most impact on young women's physical and emotional health.

“There's a lot of pressure on girls, it's completely not fair,” says 15-year-old Aitana Rinab. “A lot of girls have weight issues, especially at our age. They're like ‘Oh I want to be skinnier,’ and it leads to a lot of serious things.”

“It's definitely a big stage and a very difficult time for someone, especially when you're just hitting puberty and changing,” says 13-year-old Keiame Lee Chong. “It's the first time in your life you're realizing, ‘Wow, I'm going to be more like a young adult than just like a little kid.’"

Aitana and Lee are both involved with acting, modeling, dancing and singing. They were discovered by Marlene Wallach, president of modeling agency Wilhelmina Kids & Teen and author of the "My Tween Lifestyle" book series.

“Ten Commandments,” says Wallach. “Number one: do not criticize yourself. And number two: do not spend all day in the mirror.”

Statistics show those commandments may be tough to follow.

A 2005 Centers for Disease Control study showed 10 percent of high school girls were overweight, yet more than 30 percent already perceived themselves as being overweight.

Dr. Moira Rynn specializes in child psychiatry at Columbia University and says a lot of young girls struggle with body image issues.

“I'm seeing in my practice that young girls are struggling with their body image,” says Rynn. “There are also a lot of challenges with the perception of their weight. So not necessarily in fact that they are heavy or not heavy, but just their overall physical perception of their height, their looks, how they dress, what they wear — I find they're getting a lot of judgment about that.

While some girls are able to adjust and stand up as role models for their peers, those pressures can put more vulnerable teens at mental health risk, especially for eating disorders.

The second part of this series deals with a young woman who dealt with those issues.