Flipping through my latest issue of Allure Magazine, I noticed that on almost every page was a picture of a thin, perfectly made-up woman. Some were in perfume ads, others in ads for department stores, and then there were some in make-up and clothing ads, but no matter what kind of ad the women were in, one thing was for sure—not one of them worn anything above a size two.
In my reality, how often do I see women my age or even in my generation who are in a size two or even a size three? Not often … most women, or at least most women I know and see are nowhere near a size two. In fact, most women I see look more like me. For years, the media has spoon feed us the concept that beauty equals thin, perfect hair, make-up, and clothes. Is there any wonder 35 percent of girls six to twelve years have been on some sort of diet before they even hit thirteen, and that 50 to 70 percent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight.
The perception that to be “beautiful” you have to look like the girls that grace the pages of your fashion magazines is absurd. What we are not being told is that 97 percent of those girls are still in their mid-teens or very early 20s, their pictures are being airbrushed, many of them have had cosmetic surgery and many spend three to four hours a day in the gym and eat only bits of lettuce and sip on mineral water for nourishment.
I wondered, “Who in their right mind does this?” The answer, many girls who have very low self esteem feed into this myth of “thin-is-in” and though I do believe that actively being and eating healthy, as well as working out is not only good for your body but it’s also good for your general health. But ladies, there’s a thin line between being healthy and living on 900 calories a day (when the norm is approx 2,200 a day). Did you know that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting?
After flipping through my magazine, I felt discouraged for my fellow females, how can a regular person with a healthy appetite and a normal love for food ever look like these runway women? I’m happy with how I look and though, in the past I admit to dieting, I have come to realize that the “beauty” that the media forces down the public’s throat is unattainable for most but unfortunately, many women will continue to chase it, looking for the next best diet product or eating less to get them to that “perfect weight”. In all honestly, if you’re not in love with yourself now, then no matter how you look, how thin you get, you’ll never be happy, you’ll always want to lose “just five more.”
