At a young age, society has given an image of what a healthy, active person is to look like. Giving children Barbies and action figures like G.I. Joe to play with has given them an unhealthy image to live up to. The DDD bust and size 2 bottom does not exactly come natural to everyone, or biceps that are bigger than the waist. Children are given unrealistic images of what the perfect body would look like, when they should be comfortable in their body.
In professional sports, kids look up to the players, they want to be fast like them or be as famous and liked. They do not think about what goes on behind the game and what they are doing to be fast or how they became so famous in the first place. Kids see this and go into sports themselves, are driven to do, in some places, the unimaginable. Some sports require more in conditioning and overall self-discipline. For instance, many wrestlers cut weight because they have to stay in weight classes. Some cannot compete at the level they want in one class so they cut to a lower one. Now they are giving it all they have and putting all of their energy into practice and meets, but they also cannot afford to gain weight because then they will not be able to compete at the level they desire. They do not eat, but to have a fire, there must be fuel.

Not only wrestlers, but also weight lifters fast (American College of Medicine). They try to build up muscle and get rid of all fat. When they do not meet their expectations, they look to steroids. In high schools and professional teams, steroids are illegal to use, but there are testosterone supplements like creatine, beta-agonists (help with asthma and such, maintenance drug), and DEHA. These do not show up on drug tests (Angier). These drugs have offered a way to get the perfect look, just like their action figure growing up.

Without the corruption within sports, there lies the mentality that sports are a fun way to be active. Sports can have a positive influence on body image. Viewing sports as a joyful experience and getting to meet new people from it is a good way to look at them. How often is it that one can enjoy what he or she does, but also get a hearty workout?

When an unhealthy body image comes to mind by the media, models are brought to attention. The Victoria Secret fashion show is where many woman yearn for the bodies that are built upon by starvation and plastic surgery. Twitter has also become a part of the perfect image by purging.

Today's society has surrounded children and adults with people that have the "perfect body." For woman it is a big bust and butt, with thin waist, arms, and thighs. For men, one could say it's the Dorito shape; broad shoulders, six pack abs, with buldging arms and a thin waist. Everyone is unique. Yes, people may have similar body build, but not one person is exactly the same as the next. People can be fit and healthy without going to extremes and putting their looks into the hands of someone else with plastic surgery. Everyone is beautiful in his or her own way.