All we have to do is turn on the TV or open up a magazine and the first thing we see are pictures of thin, beautiful women. We’re force fed the idea that being thin equals being beautiful. The average American woman is preoccupied with thinness. Who can blame her when society has taught her that being skinny is the answer to everything?

The media is defining what is beautiful and setting the standards for how girls should look. Media images help create cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness. The problem is that they put the emphasis on being skinny. And we are paying the price for it.

Body image is the way a person sees their body and how they feel about it. People with healthy body images see themselves realistically and like how they look. On the other hand, people with poor body images feel unhappy with their bodies, regardless of whether they are healthy. Many girls have unrealistic ideas about their bodies and see themselves as fatter than they really are.

With low body image comes low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is a major contributor to many disorders, including eating disorders. It has been confirmed that girls with low self-esteem are more likely to develop disordered eating [e.g. dieting]. Eating disorders can be sparked when someone decides they are fat and need to go on a diet. They think being thin will make everything better, but it doesn’t. That thinking leads to even more problems.

These people with low self-esteem are perfect targets for the media. Images on the media can make them want to achieve the ideal body. Yet, the standards images of beauty are often not real. Computer artists airbrush pictures to remove any flaws. It’s even possible to change the shape of a model’s body! Only two percent of women are as thin as models.

It’s understandable why most people feel worse about their bodies after being faced with such unrealistic ideas of beauty. Heavier people are often frustrated by the difference between what they see in the mirror and what they see on TV. Media influence brings on many problems, including eating disorders, by making people feel dissatisfied with their bodies.

Let’s start changing this.

© Rachel Ruppel 2007

Back