Write out a simple outline to get yourself started. If this is an essay about physical self image, you should think about how you feel about your body and yourself. What kinds of things make you self conscious and how do you think society affects the way we view ourselves?
Begin your essay with an introductory statement. If you are writing about self image, start with a statement about how you feel about yourself, or what self image means to you. You can also start with an applicable quote or interesting narrative about a past experience and how it affected you. Don't be afraid to use "I" and be descriptive. You can begin your essay with a question, but make sure it is intriguing enough to grab your reader's attention.
End your first paragraph with a solid thesis statement. For instance, if you are writing about how you think the media affects self image, you might write something like, "Self image in young people is negatively skewed by media outlets like television, movies and magazines."
Create your body paragraphs. Following the example, your first paragraph might talk about different television shows and stations like MTV and how they may cause low self esteem and eating disorders in young girls.
Include transitions between body paragraphs. A transition is a sentence that ends a paragraph and transitions into the next. For example, if you want to transition from talking about how media influences girls' self esteem to how media influences boys' self esteem, you can end your paragraph with a sentence like, "although girls tend to voice their low self esteem more often, they aren't the only ones negatively affected by media." Then, begin your next paragraph by talking about how boys are affected and include statistics.