Topic > The media influences the self-esteem and body image of young people...

A girl has a negative and distorted view of her physical appearance or feels positive about her appearance and feels comfortable in her body . The most common perspective on how a girl thinks her body image is negative. Girls tend to think that the bodies of celebrities, models and TV stars are the only way they should look. Continuous exposure of an unrealistic body image can deceive what reality actually is. Some people believe that girls get these standards of “beautiful” from their peers and family when in reality girls get these standards from the media and prominent people in society. Contemporary media negatively influences girls' self-image by perceiving what the "perfect" body looks like. Girls will do anything to achieve the ideal body image they aspire to. It's no surprise that media-driven image forces girls to think of themselves in a certain way. Girls need to realize that losing weight is not a competition and should be done in a healthy way. Exercising too much is not always the way to go to lose weight. This can be unhealthy and will cause additional stress on a girl's body that is unnecessary. Weight loss is also not always the best solution. Everyone has a different body type, which prevents people from being able to compare themselves to each other in the same way. “Beauty is found in imperfections. It's what separates people and makes them interesting. Our natural scars tell stories. The wrinkles on our faces come from laughter. (Dittmann 13). Even after all the money spent, all the sweaty hours in the gym, the hunger for food, most girls will never have the “super model” body they are trying to achieve. If this unrealistic image were brought to a girl's attention, she would not suffer from this negativity of trying to look like something she will never be able to achieve. “Girls need to learn values ​​that strengthen their worth beyond beauty.” (End of Hypersexualization 12). Instead of going on a diet to lose weight, girls will starve and not eat for weeks at a time. Ellen Shell conducted research and found that “More than three-quarters of healthy-weight adult women in the United States believe they are “too fat,” and nearly two-thirds of high school girls diet” (Shell 6). Most of these girls are already at an average weight and should continue with their regular eating habits to stay on a healthy path.