Many young women believe that being beautiful is synonymous with being skinny. The idea that women must be skinny in order to be beautiful is supported by women in the media. Take a look at a popular magazine directed towards women, on the cover you will see a beautiful and skinny woman with tips for how to lose weight. Many advertisements directed towards women portray very slim models. These models create unrealistic body images and expectations for women. According to website the average model is 70 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. WebMD states that the average American women is 64 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. That is a very big difference in a weight to height ratio. Models portray beauty as being tall and skinny to the point where it is not healthy. The 'ideal' woman's body is unrealistic and an unhealthy role model for young women and girls. In our culture, we have chosen to favor being skinny over being healthy. …show more content…
The NED took a few surveys of elementary school girls and found that "Of American elementary school girls who read magazines, 69% say that the pictures influence their concept of the ideal body shape. 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight." This shows that we begin building this ideal body image at a very young age. There is no reason why a child in elementary school should want to lose weight. NEDA goes on to say that "By age 6, girls especially start to express concerns about their own weight or shape. 40-60% of elementary school girls (ages 6-12) are concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat. This concern endures through life." When girls start to realize that their own bodies are not the same as what they see in the media this can lead to low self esteem and a negative body