The Media Of A Middle School Student - 1486 Words

As a middle school student, I was oblivious to the unrealistic portrayals in the media, but I was not able to escape its harmful grasp. It seemed every girl at the school suffered with body image issues because their perception of beauty is what they had been taught by society. Anorexia and bulimia were far too common, while self-esteem and confidence were very hard to find. Not only were the girls trying to become â€Å"beautiful,† they were also trying to act older than they were. Starting at the extreme, drugs, alcohol, and sex seemed normal; far less extreme were the excessive amounts of makeup, skimpy outfits, and usage of the proper slang. These girls were merely doing what the media had taught them; they were being, or trying to be,†¦show more content†¦Realistic representations of women in the media will teach women to strive to achieve attainable goals that have positive outcomes. Furthermore, the media’s definition of â€Å"beautiful† is not he althy. While photo-shopping may be commonplace practice, there are those who are taking a stand. For example, the magazine Verily has made the promise to â€Å"never alter the body or facial structure of our models, remove wrinkles or birthmarks, or change the texture of their skin. We aim to show everyone at their best, but also firmly believe that ‘your best’ is not ‘a work of fiction.’† Verily’s column â€Å"Runway to Realway† takes high fashion styles and makes them practical for all women, they even use everyday women in the column instead of models (Verily). There are even individuals who are taking a stand. In an article for ABC News, Davis and Millman talk about Julia Bluhm, a 14 year old from Waterville, Maine, who collected 25,000 signatures on her petition to have Seventeen produce one spread per month that does not use photo-shopped images (Davis and Millman). Bluhm’s petition and Verily are showing the media that they want to see real and accurate representations of women. Someone can be â€Å"beautiful† by being fake, but a women’s true representation of herself is far more beautiful than any photo shopped model. It is true that not everyone in the media is a victim Photoshop.