Body Images

I think girls these days are more pressured by the media to fit that skinny, beautiful, Hollywood image than ever. The most popular teen girl magazines are filled with images of beautiful women and products that send the message: "this is what you should look like". Celebrities and weight loss products are all over TV. Even the music we hear on the radio is about body proportions "24, 34, 46" (Petey Pablo) and clothing brands "apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur" (Flo Rida). Girls are pressured to spend virtually all of their money on brand name clothing, make-up, manicures, pedicures, gym memberships... you name it, just to feel beautiful. What they don't understand is that half of what they see on TV isn't real. With photo shop and other programs, even models are digitally modified to look their best. Blemishes are edited out, eyes and noses are adjusted so they are more proportionate. It's all just an illusion.
Boys, on the other hand, deal with much less pressure. Many boys think it is important to dress in brand name clothing as well, whether it be Nike or Abercombie and Fitch. Some even go to the gym so they can build up their muscles. They are clean shaven and sport fresh hair cuts. But that is about where it ends. Men don't usually see what they should strive to look like all over TV, and they usually don't obsess over it either. They are more concerned about having the latest technology and driving the nicest cars. If boys shop at Target instead of Hollister, nobody really cares. Therefore, they do not have to deal with half of the pressure and media influence that girls do.