Body image. This is something that is imperative and valuable to ones self. What you think of yourself should be the one and only opinion you care about, but unfortunately the world has become a sickening place of media impact and self destructive chaos. You have celebrities that are “Plus Size” telling their young “plus size” teen fans to just accept themselves the way they are, and encouraging them to embrace their curves and to love their bodies. Yet within 2 months you see them on weight loss commercials being complete hypocrites and telling the world that being “fat” is wrong. Where does this lead the hopeless 13 year old overweight girl? She's let down and feeling that the only person she could relate to is now in the norm of the typical “Hollywood” look. You wonder if the media is so threatening to the superstars that it is causing them to think that if they do not in fact loose the weight their career will be demolished. But the truth is... they have been overweight their whole career, so why does it all the sudden matter?

Images of women are everywhere. In commercials, tv shows, advertizements, etc. They're ALL superficial and judgmental. None of them are encouraging women to love themselves the way they are. They are all making sure that these women CHANGE their body image. The advertizement companies don't care if the women are truly happy. It's all about media marketing.



The magazines are telling their readers that if they become thin, they'll have it all! The perfect life, best marriage and sex life, great job, the list is endless. All of this is a lie though. By becoming “skinny” sure you may be happier with yourself on the outside, but at the end of the day you are still going to have those bills to pay, the kids to pick up from soccer practice, and the husband that won't shut up about this or that. Loosing weight won't change your everyday life, if you want to truly be happy...change your attitude and your perception of daily challenges that you take on every day. There are plenty of teens and women in this world that are plus size, overweight, “fat” whatever you want to call it that are perfectly happy with themselves and their life. They are refusing to change for anyone, and I honestly love seeing people like that, that are comfortable in their own skin.

According to mediaawareness.com It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth anywhere between 40 to 100 billion (U.S.) a year selling temporary weight loss (90 to 95% of dieters regain the lost weight).On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. What is this telling you about our society now days? It is sickening to see people being effective by the medias perception on what we should look like. They make it seem like if we do not act and look a certain way, with a certain amount of sex appeal we will not be accepted. In all reality though, unfortunately a lot of the world is like this. Many people are judgmental about thin people, fat people, or people who don't wear the “In Style” clothes. Does this make them wrong? Or do they simply just not know any better? Most teens have grown up in an environment of media destruction, where all they know is what they read in magazines, or see on tv. Sure it's common sense to see the “real” people walking down the street, or in your super market. But in the back of your mind you're still thinking ….that is not how we're supposed to look like. It's saddening to see our world come to this cold hearted and contemptible state of mind, where all we care about is the outer beauty.

As a nation, we need to rebel against the unfathomable realization of media and the negativity it has on women, and some men, but even more so our young girls. They are becoming anorexic, bulimic, and are starting to develop eating disorders at very young ages. They're trying to become something that they are NOT meant to be. No one can look like the flawless magazine cover model. No matter how hard you try, it is just not going to happen, we were ALL born with flaws. Inner flaws, AND outer flaws. We need to embrace and love every part of ourselves, because the first step to loving others is first loving yourself. Beauty is not going to be here forever, we will get old one day, and not be as attractive as we were when we were in our teens. Start changing now, from the inside out. Because on the inside is what truly counts.