Teen body image exposed – Reitz Journalism

Teen body image exposed Reitz Journalism Image

Countless girls across the country counted down the days until they could turn on their televisions and watch the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

When the much anticipated show arrived, many girls were disappointed to find that the models, previously 20 pounds heavier, strutted down the runways, showing off not just the new clothes for the season, but their ribs, hip bones, and other places that should not stick out of a healthy body.

Girls wait for this show every year. Waiting to see women picked from remote places all around the world for their very unique and impossible looks to tell the world this is how your SHOULD look.

This made me ask the question, what is beautiful? is what the media tells us is “beautiful” realistic? why has beauty evolved into something so unrealistic and unhealthy? And how do girls learn what true beauty is?

Times have changed. In the 1940’s and 50’s, there were beautiful women known not only for their looks, but for their work and the inspiration they gave.

Iconic women like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn showed the world what it was like to be truly beautiful, on the inside and out. Marilyn Monroe was no doubt known for her looks.

However, she was a savvy businesswoman as well. She knew what she wanted in the world and worked hard to achieve her dreams.

Audrey Hepburn, who could be called average- looking on the outside, was a truly beautiful woman as well. She was known for her great personality and her incredible ability to make her film co-workers laugh.

Unfortunately, our culture has evolved to a state that has forgotten these beauties.

When people are geared towards women who have ambition, who have hope and faith, women who measure their worth by their happiness and not by how many material things they possess, beauty is much more attainable to the average girl.

Today, the media shows us that being skinny, unhealthy, and addicted to something or another is the desirable thing to do. The media tells us this will lead us to success, and that success will lead us to happiness.this mentality is where the media has caused the constant search (but never discovery) of happiness.

Girls need to realize that being happy makes them beautiful. Being happy with yourself, making the best of whatever situation you are in, and being thankful for the things you DO have instead of wishing for more all lead to happiness.

Girls also need to realize that our culture is very twisted.

Culture tells us that you should wear the highest heels, carry the most expensive handbag, and mask your face with makeup to be beautiful. our culture makes material things an aspiration, which girls should never do.

Instead of striving to have the newest purse or the most expensive jeans, girls should strive to better themselves as people. Girls need to play sports, sing, play an instrument, read books, do anything that makesTHEM happy, not society.

True beauty is helping each other. true beauty is finding all of the wonderful things in life despite the bad, and following your own path, not the one our culture has set out for us. true beauty is also having the confidence to do all of these things despite what people think. If somebody is beautiful on the inside and truly values herself and is happy, it will no doubt show on the outside. Beauty is being healthy, happy, loving, ambitious, confident, and never letting the world stop you from being exactly who you are.