The other day in a local grocery store I remember scanning the magazines in stock. Not one advertised what I would call a normal, average female or male. Each model or celebrities posted among the different issues were all glossed up to perfection with ideal tans, make-up, along with “hot” skinny bodies. Articles inside encourage the reader to workout and follow diet or health plans to then in return receive a figure for example like Lindsay Lohan. These images plunging all around are persuading young teens to re-evaluate themselves and their outward appearances. They compare who they are to what seems like faultless people. What ever happened to the saying, “you’re perfect just the way you are” or “inner beauty is what counts”? The public has lost the true concept of what to look for in each other and has switched over to being materialistic and counting on looks to obtain attention or popularity throughout.

If you look around a class room full of teen students, not one of them hold the same features, traits, or abilities, yet the media doesn’t advertise different types of people with diverse looks, body figures, and attributes. Like always, the same people with model figures, flawless facial features, along with updated expensive clothing wear are published among all the magazines. The individuals chosen to be issued on the pages don’t vary, setting a tone for teens of what the only “in” way to look, appear, and dress is.


Not only are these magazines portraying “perfect” images of people, but they influence more and more teens everyday, to eat differently and begin a new diet plan. Due to these influences, one out of every two girls between the ages of thirteen and fifteen, believe that they are overweight. This causes the 40 to 60 percent of highschool girls to diet and the 40 percent of nine year old girls to begin dieting to receive the model appearance.

These magazines persuade any girl that reads them making their inner selves feeling apprehensive and making them not comfortable in her own shoes because of the image that is being created. No girl is perfect, so why display such a found life style? Being able to walk around school, wearing what you feel good about yourself in, should be the way every girl thinks. However, I am not saying that seeing these magazines and thinking “oh I wish I could be like that” never crosses my mind, because it does. I have to keep reminding myself, though, that I am beautiful in every way and I do not need all the new things or special workout and diet plans to make myself look “pretty” or “trendy.” I am who I am and I am proud of it.

Professionals produce an already made look, and entail their celebrity be a certain size or look a specific way, its their job. So why should the youth of today feel obligated to follow in this path? Well, the truth is, no girl should feel as if it is necessary to take on looking like someone in the posted subscriptions. Every one is an unique individual and is entitled to their own opinions, so why not keep it that way and stop creating the “picture perfect” image? I am my own person and I am comfortable with who I am and who I will come to be. I have the ability to secure my actions and my thoughts and to take a stand to not be persuaded by the pictures, media, and people that voice what someone should look like. There is no right or wrong about someone’s appearance. At this time, I believe I am another fish in the sea and that these false outlooks on people are making for a world where life will drastically change because of it. So, along with me take a stand, don’t follow the majority and stay true to your own style, way of living, and express your colors they way that’s right to you.