"Beautiful," the song that put her on the map in 2004, caught a lump in my throat the first time I heard the lyric, "I want to hear you say/Who I am is quite enough," because I spend so much time feeling like I'm barely enough. Bethany speaks about freedom. "I think it is a gift to give a woman permission to be who she is... I don't have to do anything and I am so unable to impress God and, yet, there is something about me that has captured Him."

Krystal Meyers clearly understands the double standard. "I love fashion...love the magazines and have stacks of them. Love going shopping. Love finding new clothes, and it makes me feel excited to wear those new clothes." And yet a few minutes later, the 18-year-old sounds burdened. "I don't want to be seen without makeup on because I don't feel as pretty without makeup on. I hear from fans on my message board and they're like, 'You've got such clear and beautiful skin...how do you do it?' And I'm thinking to myself, well, that's photoshopped!"

I mention to her that most fans have no idea that the photos are fixed in any way, so they're at home wishing away for Krystal Meyers' skin, which doesn't really even exist. "We have problems with our weight and acne or just self-image in general. And being able to be honest and truthful about it... I think it's really important," explains Krystal.

Later, on the phone with Kierra "KiKi" Sheard, who's also 18, I am reminded of the pressures that her generation faces and how hard it is for the average teenager to wrestle with those pressures, even without the added stress of publicity pictures.

She shares openly about a time in her life when her self-confidence was at its lowest. "During the first album, I was dealing with low self-esteem because it was brought up to me, that 'You're kind of a big girl' ... and that's something that I had to experience behind closed doors, and not everybody knew I was wrestling with my self esteem. It doesn't matter who you are; what people say is going to bother you just a tiny bit," she says.

A tiny bit?

I tell her about the first time it was gently suggested to me that I get a gym membership before my first photo shoot. Never mind the fact that I was busting my butt waiting tables and barely able to pay my rent while recording my first record. I was literally living off whatever the change in my car ashtray could get me from Taco Bell. Apparently, I was not short on change.

KiKi is quick to point out where she goes to find her confidence, " ... knowing that I'm beautiful because I'm a child of God and He created me. He loves me. I feel like I went through that experience and it strengthened me. Being in the spotlight, people will find the worst things wrong with you after you've spent hours trying to put yourself together ... People are going to try to criticize you."

KiKi's father once reminded her, "If you are in leadership, you have to know that you are under a microscope of scrutiny."