...The portrayal of women by the media follows an all too predictable pattern, which by now we are all aware of and yet do nothing to alter. According to the message sent by the media, in order for women to have "worth" they must be thin enough to be considered anorexic, they must have flawless skin and hair, they must look their best at all times and basically never show that they are in any way real. In other words, they must fit into this culture's idea of what is beautiful which no person is actually able to fit into without the help of an eating disorder and a personal stylist, as well as the ability to be permanently air-brushed.

...These constant reminders of how women are supposed to look and dress have deep and lasting consequences on the psychological health of women everywhere. Not only do grown women feel that they have somehow failed by not being able to fit this insane media-driven idea of beauty, but we are telling the future generations of females that they must conform to this vision of so-called perfection in order to have happiness in their lives. In a society that is now driven to look at what constitutes a healthy body weight, we seem to be exchanging obesity for anorexia, and in a society which is obsessed with self-image, we are consistently making women feel as if their natural body type is not good enough.

...To halt the devastating effects of the current perception of women by the media on the female populace, we must, as a society, realize that this idea of unattainable beauty is just that, unattainable.

- Sam W. ......................