Dear Mainstream Media and Anyone Who Supports The Standardization of Beauty,
You may not notice the negative influence that you have on young girls through your various mediums that promote this unrealistic “ideal” look. Many young girls may not realize that most of the images that they see of models or their favorite celebrities are actually retouched or photo-shopped to mimic what you believe is “perfect”. Therefore,Therefore, according to Newport Academy’s Teen Anorexia Statistics, many young girls feel the need to change themselves to achieve the unattainable look that they constantly see put before them. Maybe you didn’t realize how much of an influence you actually have on young girls. These girls go through extreme measures to look like something that is not only unrealistic but also extremely unhealthy, which leads to many other health risks. So just in case you didn’t know, I want to prove it to you.
You may not notice the negative influence that you have on young girls through your various mediums that promote this unrealistic “ideal” look. Many young girls may not realize that most of the images that they see of models or their favorite celebrities are actually retouched or photo-shopped to mimic what you believe is “perfect”. Therefore,Therefore, according to Newport Academy’s Teen Anorexia Statistics, many young girls feel the need to change themselves to achieve the unattainable look that they constantly see put before them. Maybe you didn’t realize how much of an influence you actually have on young girls. These girls go through extreme measures to look like something that is not only unrealistic but also extremely unhealthy, which leads to many other health risks. So just in case you didn’t know, I want to prove it to you.
There have been experiments that show a correlation between media and body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among young girls. On average teen girls are exposed to some form of media for an hour and a half on a daily basis. According to obesity and overweight statistics only 16% of young people aged 6-19 are actually overweight but yet , looking at the Newport Academy Teen Statistics, a striking 89% of teenage girls wanted to lose weight and are unhappy with their bodies.
I don’t know about you but to me these numbers are very disproportionate. Everyday these girls are faced with commercials, magazines, and videos that tell them what beauty looks like. It’s everywhere, therefore, girls cannot escape this false reality of what beauty should look like. This is why around 15 percent of teenage girls have some type of eating disorder according to the Teen Anorexia Statistics from Newport Academy .
Girls who suffer from anorexia have a constant fear of being “too fat” and girls who suffer from bulimia fear gaining weight even though they are perfectly normal. It is mainly because of you that young girls’ perception of their body image has become completely tainted.
Girls who suffer from anorexia have a constant fear of being “too fat” and girls who suffer from bulimia fear gaining weight even though they are perfectly normal. It is mainly because of you that young girls’ perception of their body image has become completely tainted.
But that’s just part of the problem. What do you think happens when these young women realize that they are not able to look like what you portray as “beautiful”? Many girls fall into some form of depression upon their realization that they will never be able to look like what they see on television, magazines, internet, etc. JustSayYes.org, a motivational and encouraging website for youth states that 70% of females feel depressed because they are insecure after seeing images of fashion models.
Depression affects you emotionally and physically. According to WebMD, a public medical website, some symptoms of depression include: fatigue, loss of appetite, feelings of worthlessness, pessimism, and worst of all, suicide thoughts or attempts. This is a very serious condition.
Young girls should not have to suffer from serious conditions like this. Young girls should be having fun and feeling comfortable in their own skin. However, in a society that tells them that you have to look a certain way, how can young girls have a completely positive outlook on themselves?
The worst part about this situation is that if depression is not treated it can be fatal. In many cases people who are depressed are more susceptible to suicide. In fact WebMD reveals that 90% of people who committed suicide were actually diagnosed with depression.
Young girls should not have to suffer from serious conditions like this. Young girls should be having fun and feeling comfortable in their own skin. However, in a society that tells them that you have to look a certain way, how can young girls have a completely positive outlook on themselves?
The worst part about this situation is that if depression is not treated it can be fatal. In many cases people who are depressed are more susceptible to suicide. In fact WebMD reveals that 90% of people who committed suicide were actually diagnosed with depression.
No matter what, every girl wants to feel beautiful whether they are 4 years old or 40 years old. We want to feel as though we can be comfortable with who we are and the way we look. What is so wrong with that? Don’t you think we have the right to feel good about ourselves?
Instead of creating retouched and photo-shopped pictures, why don’t you promote self-love and self-confidence? You don’t have to alter the look of someone to make them look “perfect” because we are your audience and we are not “perfect”. I feel as though if you want to be more relatable to your audience you should advertise something that is more realistic.
Look at how negatively you have affected young girls already. Your powerful but negative influence has resulted in a domino effect that begins with insecurity and in severe cases may end with suicide. I don’t understand why you feel the need to standardize the way someone should look. So what if someone has pale skin or dark skin? So what if someone is short or tall? So what if someone has long black hair or short blonde hair? We all are different and this is what gives us individuality. It is nothing like feeling free of care and being able to express yourself as you are.
Instead of creating retouched and photo-shopped pictures, why don’t you promote self-love and self-confidence? You don’t have to alter the look of someone to make them look “perfect” because we are your audience and we are not “perfect”. I feel as though if you want to be more relatable to your audience you should advertise something that is more realistic.
Look at how negatively you have affected young girls already. Your powerful but negative influence has resulted in a domino effect that begins with insecurity and in severe cases may end with suicide. I don’t understand why you feel the need to standardize the way someone should look. So what if someone has pale skin or dark skin? So what if someone is short or tall? So what if someone has long black hair or short blonde hair? We all are different and this is what gives us individuality. It is nothing like feeling free of care and being able to express yourself as you are.
I am very passionate about this subject because not only have I seen some of my closest friends influenced by your false advertisement but I also have a four year old niece. My niece is now of age where she has taken interest in beautifying herself. It is absolutely adorable when she wants dresses up in her princess dress with the matching shoes and tiara and a pair of clip on earrings. She even wants to wear makeup because she sees her mother wearing it.
But what happens when she gets older and she has other sources of influence besides her mother? What happens when she begins to take notice of the photo-shopped pictures in magazines and realize that she doesn’t look like the woman in the picture? This is something that I absolutely dread thinking about. I hate thinking about how she could be affected by your deceptive images of beauty as she grows older. This is why my family and I work hard to shield her from your negative influence. Even though she is still very young it is critical that being comfortable in her own skin is stressed to her.
I don’t want to see an entire generation of young girls become victims of self-loathing because this issue wasn’t addressed. You have the greatest influence on young girls through television, internet, magazines, etc., therefore, you have the power to encourage and motivate young girls to love themselves. I suggest that instead of putting stipulations on the beauty of someone’s outward appearance include more realistic photos of women. You don’t have to alter the looks of models to make them “beautiful” they will be beautiful just as they are. Remember that beauty is not just about glamorizing ourselves it is about knowing who we are and being completely comfortable in our own skin. Think about how positively you can change the lives of many young girls just by taking my advice to promote more realistic photos of women and by supporting the idea of self-love and self-acceptance.
But what happens when she gets older and she has other sources of influence besides her mother? What happens when she begins to take notice of the photo-shopped pictures in magazines and realize that she doesn’t look like the woman in the picture? This is something that I absolutely dread thinking about. I hate thinking about how she could be affected by your deceptive images of beauty as she grows older. This is why my family and I work hard to shield her from your negative influence. Even though she is still very young it is critical that being comfortable in her own skin is stressed to her.
I don’t want to see an entire generation of young girls become victims of self-loathing because this issue wasn’t addressed. You have the greatest influence on young girls through television, internet, magazines, etc., therefore, you have the power to encourage and motivate young girls to love themselves. I suggest that instead of putting stipulations on the beauty of someone’s outward appearance include more realistic photos of women. You don’t have to alter the looks of models to make them “beautiful” they will be beautiful just as they are. Remember that beauty is not just about glamorizing ourselves it is about knowing who we are and being completely comfortable in our own skin. Think about how positively you can change the lives of many young girls just by taking my advice to promote more realistic photos of women and by supporting the idea of self-love and self-acceptance.
Thank you,
Chelsey
Chelsey