Jessica Lilly 9a

The Harmful Effects of Unrealistic Female Body Ideals

Ladies and gentlemen,
We live in a world which is significantly influenced by media.
Sometimes it seems as though the media has as much control over
our country as the government. And at the heart of all that are
images of females, sporting flawless faces and skinny bodies, that
someone deemed perfect. Incredible amounts of pressure are put
on young girls and teens to fit this mold of the perfect body and
the perfect face. Girls are taught that being beautiful gets them
places, and that all they need is a pretty face, to be set for life.
Images of skeletal legs and gaunt faces grace the covers of most
teen magazines and ads for teen products. But no one ever stops to
ask themselves what this does to the lives of the girls who see this.
Body ideals give us an unattainable concept of perfection. They
tarnish the concept of being unique and the concept of self-worth.

The emphasis put on body image demonstrates not only a

displacement of morals, but also has a negative impact on girls
psychologically. Over the past 3 years the number of children and
teenagers suffering from eating disorders has risen by 110%, but
not without provocation. The Media is playing an increasingly
influential role in the lives of young girls and teens. As the
widespread accessibility of media increases, unrealistic images of

women are contributing more and more to the number of girls

suffering from eating disorders. Only about 10-15% of people
suffering from eating disorders are male, and we need to ask
ourselves why. The answer lies in the traits we value in each gender.
While men are expected to be strong willed, and capable, less
emphasis is put on their body ideals and physical appearance, and
more merit is put in their abilities. Women on the other hand, hold
beauty as a defining factor, and the range of accepted body sizes
is far smaller than it is for men.

As girls grow older they begin to wonder how to dress and how to
act in order to conform to the adult world, and they tend to seek
advice not from their parents that just don't get it and are so last
century, but instead from the media. Girls can come to believe that
the faces they see on the cover of magazines are normal, and that
the bodies they see on billboards are the only definition of healthy
and beautiful. Only about 5% of female bodies naturally conform to
the image of perfection portrayed in todays media, yet pressure is
still put on girls to meet medias beauty ideals. Girls can become so
consumed in their desire to perfectly meet the medias everchanging beauty ideals that it can get to the point where they no
longer look in the mirror and see their own face, or see themselves
for their beauty as a person and instead, can only see their external
flaws.

When I was younger I was confident. I felt strong and beautiful, and I
loved every aspect of life. I loved to learn, and I didnt mind being
called smart or even bossy. I was probably in 3rd grade before I
realized that the word nerd was a bad thing; that I was looked down
upon for spending more time on school than on my appearance. I
began to believe that there was something wrong with me because I
didnt own designer jeans or wear makeup. I realized that the body
that I had once thought was strong, wasnt skinny and that my face
was less than gorgeous. Little by little my confidence was torn
down, and what I once thought were my strengths, became things I
was embarrassed of and things I tried to hide. I wanted so badly to
be that girl I saw on every magazine cover and on every billboard.
Five years ago I wouldnt think twice about making this speech. I
would probably enjoy it. But over time, due to the influence of
medias portrayal of my gender I have lost that self-assurance.

69% of girls between 5th and 12th grade say that the media has
influenced their concept of the ideal body. But why should we
conform to an image of perfection presented by the media? What
makes the medias definition of perfection any more perfect than
our own? If the media were to change their definition of perfect
tomorrow the rest of the world would too. But why cant we break
the mold and write our own rules. Why cant we take a stand against
the female stereotypes evoked through all forms of media. The
widespread usage of social networking and digital media makes

unrealistic images of females more prominent, and gives them more

influence, but it also gives us a place to make a stand against these
unrealistic body ideals.

The media teaches girls to hide their flaws, to hide their

personalities, and to hide their distinguishing factors. But do you
really want to be just another pretty face? Just another follower?
Someone who blends in, and never reaches their full potential? I
love my life, and the people around me, and I know I dont want to
see them change just to meet todays beauty ideals. You dont need
makeup to be beautiful. You dont need to be skinny to be beautiful.
All you need is to be yourself. To not let anyone elses vision of
beauty define yours. You dont need to be perfect. Theres no such
thing as perfection. People always use the word flaw as a negative
thing, but I think our flaws make us beautiful. It is our flaws that
define us. It is our flaws that give us something to work for, and it is
our flaws that make us human.

Thank you

Works Cited
"Eating Disorders Statistics." ANAD. N.p., 4014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eatingdisorders-statistics/>.
Jacques, Renee. "9 'Perfect' Female Bodies That Prove There's No Such Thing."
Huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/perfect-female-bodies-no-suchthing_n_4726196.html>.
NEDA. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/contributing-factors-prevention>.

Serdar, Kasey L. "Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How
Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard." Wesminstercollege.edu.
Westminster College, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.westminstercollege.edu/myriad/index.cfm?
parent=...&detail=4475&content=4795>.