Sylvia+B.

 How does living in a Society that Body Image is everything, effect a daily Teen's Life?

//"The most celebrated, recognizable women today are famous primarily for being thin and pretty, while women who are actually changing the world remain comparatively invisible. Most of us have a harder time naming women of other accomplishments." // ( Hellmich). As startling as this fact may be, we all know it is absolutely true. If I were to ask you which person you knew more about, either Twiggy or Betsy Ross, you would answer Twiggy. Do you know why? It’s because Twiggy was the first thin super model published in the media, and we have all heard tons about her, and how she started the “Thin is in” Trend. The sad part is, Betsy Ross, a women form history more important than Twiggy, is less recognized. Betsy Ross sewed the first flag for the United States of America; I bet you didn’t know that, did you? We are exposed to Media everywhere we turn. Whether it’s watching our favorite Reality Shows, or even standing in line at Jewel and taking a quick glimpse into the first magazine we see, media surrounds our lives. Everyone, boys, girls, young and old, even Moms and Dads all dream of achieving their “perfect body.” We assume that since models, actors and actresses can do it, then we can too. But what we don’t know is how much these models have to go through to achieve what we see, and even then, what we see isn’t true. Being a teenager myself, and living in a Society where Body Image is everything, I know that what we see in the media not only affects our //lives // [not only teenagers, but everyone around us] but also makes a great impact on our //health //.

=** What is the Cause of a Poor Body Image in Teens? **=

“ NYC.com reports that each of us is exposed to 400-600 ads per day, an average of 40-50 million by age 60.”(Miller). The media is the main cause of teenagers, even adults for having a very low and poor body image. A teenager spends 12 hours and 7 minutes on average everyday watching T.V. (SoundVision). If you think about it, that is a lot of time when a teenager is absorbing all different types of Ads, and even seeing people that are beautiful, flawless, and almost too good to be true. When a teenager sees these types of pictures from magazines, or their favorite T.V stars, they tend to have the feeling of wanting to be and look like them. In most cases this is physically impossible. Teenagers go to life threatening highs to achieve their main goal: To look like a famous actor or actress.

Girls as young as 10 years old already start to worry about their appearance. “’ Girls are being taught very young that thin and sexy is the way they want to be when they grow up, so they’d better start working on that now.’” ( Hellmich). Starting at the age of 12, and the beginning of Middle School is when Body Image creates a big impact on a Girl’s health and Emotional well being. Girls turn to not eating, or even becoming Bulimic to achieve their main goal, and to feel accepted into the “Cool” crowd. These girls feel that if they dress and look like the “Cool” and “Popular” girls in their grade, that they will be accepted into that group. These girls think that if they finally do get accepted into the “Cool Crowd” that they will automatically have a better life, love themselves more, and feel loved by everyone else, because of what they look like. This is where all the pressure to look “perfect” and have the “Perfect Body” begins, to feel accepted because of your appearance.

Boys are also sucked into the media of having the impression of the need to look perfect. But in boys, looking perfect is not the same as it is in girls. The media and health agencies are reporting that body image issues have been becoming more and more of a problem for teen boys over the past decade. This is because boys are increasingly interested in their appearance including their hair, clothes and physique. The media doesn’t only get to the girl’s minds; it also gets to the boys. The NFL, NBA, and even shows in MTV such as “Jersey Shore” all impact the way boys want to see themselves. These Pro-athletes and MTV Reality Show Men all give examples of the perfect “Physique” for a boy: Being Muscular. When boys see how many girls these men get on T.V. and even how confidently these men carry themselves, teen boys can’t help but wish to look like them. So they try to succeed. Teen boys turn to [|Steroids] to help them gain the muscle they dream of. The side effects of Steroids in men are very dangerous; Liver Disorders, Sterility, decreased sperm production , and even breast and prostate enlargement. It is very rare to find a teenage boy who does not go to the gym these days. Being a teenager myself, whenever I go to the gym, the weight room is always packed with teenage boys lifting, and trying to achieve their goal of a perfect appearance.

=**Models are Perfect?**= “’ You do see the occasional model on the runway looking liek she should go from the fashion show to the hospital.’ You hear stories of girls who come to model and are collapsing becasue they haven’t eaten in days.” ( Hellmich). Not only are these standards unrealistic, but also crazy and life threatening. “According to //Seventeen//, Carol Lynley, the first celebrity teen model, ‘came prepared to every photo shoot in the 1950’s with a head of lettuce, a pound of seedness grapes, and three green peppers,’ her food for the day.” (Zimmerman). Models go to extremes to keep their skeletal-figure in tact. The life of a model is no walk in the park, and it’s a very daring and risky thing to do. They are constantly on fad diets, and their even afraid of looking at food because they think they will get tempted. Nadja Auermann, who “eats like a horse” remembers her early experiences as a model in Paris: “Everyone made me paranoid. Everybody told me, ‘Nadja you can’t eat so much. You have to stop.’ If I gained half a gram, I was like completly freaking out.” (Zimmerman). In other words, Models have nothing close to a normal life. They can’t enjoy the occasional outings for ice cream, or having a slice of pizza with their friends. Instead they can enjoy eating 3 pieces of lettuce, and being satisfied with that for the whole day.

= **The Truth** =

Models are __not__ perfect. They are human beings just like you and I. They have flaws, and things they don’t like about themselves. Sure, they may appear //perfect // on the magazine covers, or even in movies; but do you really know the secret behind that? “In the film //Wet Dreams and False Images, // Ken Harris, a ‘digital photo re-toucher’ demonstrated how he changed skin color, reshapes body parts and shaves pounds off models. ‘Almost always the first thing I’ll do is fix the nose,’ Harris explained, zipping the computer mouse over a photo. ‘Every picture has been worked on some 20 or 30 rounds going back and forth between the retouchers and its client and the agency. They’re perfected to death,’ he said. ‘I don’t see these photographs as being authentic of real. I see them as being mechanical and inhuman.’” (Malkan). The pictures our eyes see is not what the Models, actors and actresses really look like. As ken said “ These photographs are mechanical and inhuman,” and when teenagers try to look and compare themselves to the models they see in movies and in magazines, they are really comparing themselves to the work of a air brush and a computer mouse. “//Glamour // reported that supermodel Tyra Banks once canceled a job because of a ‘bloated stomach’ and often things about holding in her stomach during shoots” (Zimmerman).Yes, this sound pathetic doesn’t it? After reading this, would you really trade places with any of these models if you had to live fear of losing your job if you gained 3 pounds?

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Having a low self body image not only leads to Anorexia, Bulimia, Steroids but it also leads to Depression and even Suicide. Teenagers may become Depressed because of not being accepted, and like I have said before, may be because of not looking “perfect” or having the body image they dream of. If a teenager becomes severely depressed and doesn’t get help, or sees that the method he/she is using to achieve her “perfect body” goal isn’t working, the result may be Suicide. Is this really what the world has come to? Teenagers killing themselves over wanting to look like the people they see on T.V and in magazines, who have been re-touched by an airbrush __20 to 30 times__?

**You are You.** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; line-height: 115%;">You and I, and every single teenager have to learn to accept themselves the way they are. We are all perfect, and we don’t need a model agency, or a film director to tell us that. We don’t need to be edited tons of times to set the bar of what beautiful is and isn’t. [|You are You.]

=**Stephanie's Story**=

"You've ruined everything. You gave in. You're weak," I whispered fiercely. The eyes in the mirror filled with tears. I looked away from her, allowing her the space to cry. My eyes fell on the red door to the handicapped stall of the stark bathroom. I walked slowly toward it, wiping my eyes on my sleeve. I took a fateful step into that stall, and tumbled down the [|rabbit hole] I shut the door and slid the lock into place, oblivious to the metamorphosis that had just occurred. I looked cautiously at the white porcelain toilet with its silver handle and pushed the sleeves of my brown and cream striped shirt up to my elbows. Lifting the seat, I took a deep breath. I opened my mouth as wide as I could and slid my right index finger down my throat. I gagged and choked, watching the yet undigested pizza and breadsticks splash into the water. Listening to the echo of my retching, I gasped for breath. The mixture of bile and pizza sauce stung my tongue, and my eyes began to water. The acrid smell of vomit pervaded my nostrils, but I pushed my finger back down my throat as if in a dream. ”

=Is this Beautiful?=



=Other Websites:=

[|Photoshop- The real Thing] This Site is to inform you more about how photoshop works, and really changes the apperance of what people and even models look like.

[] Some Great tips for boys are given on how to deal with a Body Image, and how to have a higher slef esteem.

[] Here is a website to help all of the troubles teens that have or are dealing with Anorexia Nervosa.

[] This video may be a little hard to look at, but really shows what a model turns into when she is sucked into the Media.

[] This is a site that has a lot of links, for people with eating disroders, and how to cope with them.

//**<span style="color: #f69393; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Learn to Accept your appearance, and other will too. **//

Works Cited

Bartel, Susan. //Focus Adolescente Services.// 2005. Web. 1 Februrary 2010. < []>

Fox, Kate. //Mirror, Mirror.// Social Issues Research Centre. 1997.Web. 1 Februrary. 2010. <[]>

Hellmich, Nanci. "The Fashion Industry May Be Linked to Poor Body Image and Eating Disorders." Opposing Viewpoints: The Culture of Beauty. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 29 January 2010.

Malkan, Stacy. "The Beauty Industry Promotes Unrealistic Beauty Standards." Opposing Viewpoints: The Culture of Beauty. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 29 January 2010.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Miller, Lindsay. //Student Wellness at University of Colorado.// Universtiy of Colorado, 10 Februrary 2007. Web. 1 Februrary 2010. < []> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times New Roman;">

//SoundVision//. SoundVision Foundation, Inc. 2010. Web. 1 Februrary 2010. <[]>

Zimmerman, Jill S. "Why Thin Is In." Contemporary Issues Companion: Eating Disorders. Ed. Myra H. Immell. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 29 January 2010