"BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"

By Alicia Arties

 WHAT IS THE MEDIA DOING TO OUR YOUNG GIRLS?

I'll tell you what they are doing! They are poisoning the minds of today's society. The sad part is it's not just teenage girls, it's grown women, it's our entire society (including men).

 The media has put such a huge emphasis on body image that everyone wants the "perfect body", and will take drastic measures to get it. This effects our culture and our society as a whole, but the damage that it's doing to our teenage girls is astronomical.

 The media portrays a false image that is next to impossible to acheive. Some of these young girls idealize people like super models, actresses, and vocalists based off of looks, instead of their own mothers. They would rather look like these women that they see on screen, then to look like themselves. They are bombarded with magazine advertisements(ads) like "Quick Ways to Shed Body Fat" or " How to Drop 10 lbs. in 10 Days". Young girls read these magazines and aspire to look like these women. What they don't say in these ads is that most of these photographs are air-brushed. What they don't tell us is that some of these women are just as insecure about their bodies as you and I.

Teenage girls especially, are starving themselves, purging, and even using laxatives to help control their weight. The media's focus on "beauty" has teenage girls resorting to cosmetic surgery. You can get anything "fixed" nowadays, from head to toe(literally).

The news is agenda setting at its finest. Just once I'd like to see an "unattractive" or "over-weight" man or woman broadcasting the news or weather. What exactly is the criteria? Do you have to be articulate and beautiful; or maybe you just have to be visually appealing to most and you just "wing" it. (no disrespect to all the news anchors out there)

 We need to put more focus on inner-beauty, integrity, self-esteem, and building a more positive and healthy self image. Thankfully, there are some celebrities and companies that are trying to make a difference by promoting individuality and health, opposed to the stereotypical image of beauty.

 Agenda setting is an on going problem, and its up to us to try to reverse the damage thats been done. We need to reinforce certain values in our children; let them know that beauty truly is only skin deep.