Body image issues in teenage girls are a serious problem in today's society. It has caused many eating disorders and mental issues among young women. I am interested in researching this topic because I have had many friends that have been affected by these horrible disorders due to having poor body image. I believe this problem is due to the exposure of young women to different types of media, such as television, movies, magazines, and social media. Because of this, I am researching to find out how the media affects teenage girls body image in today's society. Although I have not personally experienced eating disorders or depression from seeing bodies in the media, it has given me a large drive to work out and look like many celebrities and models. Constantly being exposed to societies view of the "perfect women" shapes peoples minds to make them think they must look like that. I feel qualified to write about this topic because people my age are the ones most affected by the media, so I am able to understand  the thoughts of my generation.  

One source I have found to support my argument is "Why Is Women's Body Image Anxiety at Such Devastating Levels?" This article introduces the body image problem by saying "people are so obsessed with a women's body, that we dehumanize ourselves and have become dissatisfied with our own bodies" (Bates). This article argues that the media has been displaying unusual body types and this is causing irrational diets, workouts, and eating habits in teenage girls. The article also argues that the idea of a perfect body has changed so much over time. The Guardian's article wants to convey to teenage women that the bodies seen on television and in magazines are not what the average body looks like. It also wants to tell people that while we don't want an underweight unhealthy body size, we also do not want to push towards an overweight and unhealthy body style. The Guardian's author Laura Bates is very credible and has written many articles on body and health. She graduated from Cambridge, and has also been nominated for awards in activism. She is a leader in many activist campaign's, and has written many books to help convey her message. I was able to gain valuable information about my research question from her article. 

Another article that helped me understand more about teenage girls body image was "Body Image Still Problem for Teen Girls." This article begins by saying "most teenage girls tend to see themselves eleven pounds over the ideal weight On the other hand, boys' perception of their current weight versus their ideal body image is about equal" ("Body Image Still Problem for Teen Girls"). This helps the authors argument of girls having body weight issues and boys having no issues with their image. They also want to tell the reader that negative body image in girls has created problems such as extreme dieting, lower self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, and physical and mental illness. The WebMD's major point is that teen girls are most affected by body image problems and that it is negatively affecting their health. This source is from WebMD and does not have an actual author because many people contributed to the article. The article does refer to many doctors for statistics such as Michael Peterson, a doctor from the center of Advancement of health. The articles main source is the American Journal of Health behavior. This makes the article very credible because the journal has many people who helped review the information. 

"Positive Body Image" is a book on how girls today have a higher rate of a negative body image. It talks about the reasons for this impending problem, and how to fix it. The article's main argument is that young women are trying to conform to societies standards of the "ideal body". "Positive Body Image" also wants to have the American Medical Association take a stance on this problem and develop practices preventing an unhealthy body image. "It is generally recognized that the popular media is a significant social and cultural factor that influences the development of people's self-perception and body image. Young people especially, are susceptible to social pressures to conform to ideal stereotypes. The public is constantly presented in the popular print and electronic media with images of attractive, thin women and athletic, handsome men"(Healey, 6). Some of Healey's main points are that eating disorders develop near the beginning of puberty, therefore you need to encourage girls early. The article also discusses how one's friends, family, and acquaintances all have an affect on the way young girls perceive their body. It also states that teenagers are constantly bombarded with unrealistic, unobtainable ideas of beauty. "Positive Body Image" was written by Justin Healey. Healey has written many books on body image and health such as "Body Image and Self-esteem." This book had many editors to make it more credible. Also, I found this article through the Universities library quick search which guarantees its reliability. 

My research question is "how does today's media affect teenage girl's body image." This question can be argued because many companies don't believe that they are doing anything wrong when they show underweight women in ads. I have found some sources that believe that teenage girls and women should be less affected by the way others look and they should love their body for who they are. I have also seen many websites that believe social media is the reason for many eating disorders and body image issues. The articles that believe women should not be affected by the media encourages me to think about how one should not take what other people think to heart. I might need to rethink my research question to include social media as well. After reading many articles, I believe social media girls environments also play a large role in the way teenage girls feel about their bodies. I hope to improve my research question so that I am able to narrow down my search and make my project more arguable. 

