When you watch your favorite television show, jam to your favorite music video, or flip through the

pages of your favorite fashion magazine, the images you see stick with you, whether you know it or not.

These images play a large role in shaping the body image you have of yourself. For instance, if you see

one of your favorite singers or actressees and she has what you consider perfect abs (practically a six-

pack), perfect hair, perfect skin, and a perfect outfit, you subconsiously start to envision yourself with

the same characteristics. Remember, that the perfect image you see on the perfume magazine ad is

most likeyly unrealistic because it is altered.

Altered? How? Well, i’m glad you ask. All of those people that you are idolizing in the magazine

have been airbrushed and photoshoped to look the way they do. Don’t get me wrong…. They may

be attractive with a great physique, but the pictures that you see have been ehanced to make them

look better, skinnier, prettier, and even bigger if needed. Most of the time, magazines and television

glamorize the “modelesque”, skinny woman who does not resemble what most people consider

the “average” woman. Because of this, every day, thousands of teenagers use unrealistic diets to

conform to an image that has been created by the media. Take a look:

In Brittney Spear’s photo, notice the difference in the size of heres legs and buttocks, as well as her

arms. In Jessica Alba’s photo, notice the changes in her waistline, skin color, breast size, and face.

Unfortunately, no one in high school can deny that how you look is directly related to your

popularity status. Society has been trained to think that when someone is tagged as merely

having a “good personality”, they are automatically unnattractive. This is all because of the

media’s influence on your body image. When and how did the media gain such control over

your lives? Maybe it was during the glamour years of Hollywood when society yearned to

look as beautiful as the models and as handsome as the men on the big screen. Today, the

magazines that line the shelves of our book stored and grocery stories, and the videos that

fill our tv screens showcase teen’s infatuation of looking like Hollywood actors and actresses.

These images may make your believe that the key to success is looking beautiful on the outside,

when in acutality, beauty lies within.

What Are You Looking At?

When you jam to your favorite music video, watch your favorite television show, or flip through the

pages of your favorite trendy magazine, the images you see stick with you, whether you know it or not.

These images play a large role in shaping the body image you have of yourself. For instance, if you see

one of your favorite rappers or actors and he has what you consider to be a ripped body (a 10-pack,

which isn’t possible), you start envisioning yourself with a similar physique. Remember, that the perfect

image you see on the underwear magazine ad is most likeyly unrealistic because it is altered.

Altered? How? Well, i’m glad you ask. All of those people that you are idolizing in the magazine have

been airbrushed and photoshoped to look the way they do. Don’t get me wrong…. They may be

attractive with a great physique, but the pictures that you see have been ehanced to make them look

bigger, bulkier, and more defined. Most of the time, magazines and television glamorize the fit, bulky

man who does not resemble what most people consider the “average” male.

Unfortunately, no one in high school can deny that how you look is directly related to your

popularity status. Society has been trained to think that when someone is tagged as merely

having a “good personality”, they are automatically unnattractive. This is all because of the

media’s influence on your body image. When and how did the media gain such control over

your lives? Maybe it was during the glamour years of Hollywood when society yearned to

look as beautiful as the models and as handsome as the men on the big screen. Today, the

magazines that line the shelves of our book stored and grocery stories, and the videos that

fill our tv screens showcase teen’s infatuation of looking like Hollywood actors and actresses.

These images may make your believe that the key to success is looking beautiful on the outside,

when in acutality, beauty lies within.