Body image is the way people perceive themselves. There are two different types of body image: negative and positive. Positive body image is when you feel good about your body and are comfortable in your own skin. People with a positive, or healthy body image, don't obsess over what their body looks like or constantly compare themselves to others ("What is Body ... "). Negative body image, on the other hand, is a lot more common in today's society. This is when you feel disgusted by your body and often feel as if you are not good enough ("What is Body ... "). People with a negative, or unhealthy body image, tend to feel that appearance determines one's worth as a person. One of the most important differences between negative and positive body image is that people with positive body image are able to identify the unrealistic and inaccessible standards portrayed in the media. They avoid making comparisons of themselves to what they see in the media. Where as people with negative body image cannot avoid making these comparisons and this tends to lead to an attempt to change one's body shape, which can be dangerous when done with the wrong intentions. 

Low self-esteem is a direct result of negative body image and low self-esteem can very well lead to eating disorders. An eating disorder is a very complex and serious mental health condition, which does not derive from any one thing in particular, although negative body image can be a factor. Body dissatisfaction and a distorted view of one's body shape is one characteristic of eating disorders. Body dissatisfaction is linked with negative body image and can result from the media's unrealistic portrayal of body image. 

Some people may believe that social media is promoting a positive body image, but that is not the case. The media is causing teenage girls to have a negative body image. The media is responsible for this through the body type and unrealistic beauty standards it presents to the public, which lead to lower self-esteem and eating disorders in young women. 

The ideal body type has changed a lot throughout history. More often than not this body image has been unrealistic and unattainable. In colonial times, women in the community were physically strong and fertile in order to take of their large families. Women needed to be fit and tough in order to endure the harsh environment and help the family survive (Derenne). In the 19th century, however, tiny waists started to become the standard. Women were considered fragile and often sickly because of the measures they would take to slim their waists. Corsets became a major fashion element during this time period. In the 20th century, ideals shifted again and "flappers" became popular as it was common to be "angular, thin, and boyish-looking." (Derenne) Society favored physically strong and able women again during the Second World War. However, after the war when the men came home women began to take on the traditional family role. Women wore dresses again and the ideal body type was more curvaceous and shapely than before. It wasn't until the 1960's that the extremely thin ideal body type returned, and has pretty much stayed constant ever since then. The supermodel Twiggy was introduced in the 1960's and her skinny frame was different than other models in the past, which attracted a new trend in the fashion world. Her image showed other models and fans that being thin was the key to success and fame. As models were getting skinnier in size, the average American was doing the opposite (Slim Is In). This proves the negative affect that the media has on people. The standard body type portrayed by the media today remains gaunt and emaciated, which is continuing to affect how teenage girls view their bodies and themselves. 

We have now again reached the point where the ideal body image in society is unrealistic and unattainable. The media sends a message that being thin is of significant importance in life, which it is not. According to a study of 3200 women ages 16-25, over half said, "the media made them feel that being 'pretty and thin' was the 'most important thing'." (Bawdon) Girls should not feel that the way they look is the most important part of their life. Especially when the extremely thin women portrayed in the media are not even realistic. The perfect body image in today's society is considered to be 5'10" and 120 pounds. Meanwhile, the average woman is really about 5'4" and weighs 169 pounds (Springer). The differences in those statistics are huge and it shows how unrealistic it is to strive for that "perfect body image" when it is not even the norm. According to a study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, only 5% of Americans possess the body type portrayed in the media (Strickland). That means that 95% of women are striving for a body type that is not very realistic or attainable. Yet even though this number is a mere 5%, women don't realize how uncommon it really is to be that thin because thinness is the main focus of the media. Every time they turn on the television or scroll through social media, they see one extremely skinny girl after another and think that that is how they should look. 

Society has created this thought that there is a certain type of body shape and weight. Most teenagers and younger people don't believe they fall under this category, which leads to self-esteem and health problems. People get insecure and start to obsess over what they eat, signs that sometimes lead to even more drastic measures such as eating disorders. These eating disorders have been linked directly to the unrealistic way that the media portrays body image, as one of the leading causes. Adolescents assume that this ideal body type is there for them to follow and look up to, especially since the times that overweight or even normal bodies are shown on television, it is usually in a negative way. Female characters tend to have bodies that are smaller and thinner than normal, well below the recommended size for their particular weight. People who are unable to reach this ideal body image that is presented in the media begin to take extreme measures. On television, thinness is generally related to happiness, leading to the mindset that one must be thin to be happy and satisfied.

The social comparison theory can be related to this idea of the media's impact. Leon Festinger projected the social comparison theory in the 1950's. According to Psychology Today, this theory states "people rely on external models on which to form their expectations." (Vitelli) The models and celebrities in the media act as these external models to which girls compare themselves. They usually feel inferior and not good enough after seeing these models on television and in social media. Models and celebrities create a certain standard for the public and research shows that women feel depressed when they don't reach this high standard (Vitelli). When girls compare themselves to women in the media, they often wonder why they don't look like that and what they could possibly do so that they do look like that. They begin to think, how can I better myself? This feeling of inferiority can lead to a downward spiral that is hard to come out of. Even though the media is not always projecting real images and setting attainable goals, most teenage girls don't realize that which makes it even harder to gain confidence back.

Photoshop plays a very important role in the media and contributes to the negative effect that the media has on teenage girls. A lot of images in today's society are being altered to portray unrealistic standards of beauty. Impractical body image expectations derive from alterations made through processes like Photoshop and can lead to eating disorders and diminish confidence and self-esteem (Diller). Most people don't look at an image on social media and automatically think about if it is altered or not. You see a model on the cover of a magazine with flawless skin and a perfect body and usually your first reaction would be to feel meek and uncomfortable in your own skin in comparison. Unfortunately, that reaction is normal in today's society. If there were words across the image that stated, "This is Photoshopped", most people would most likely not react in such a way and feel belittled because it is obviously not real or realistic. That is the problem with Photoshop: companies get away with altering their images and don't have to declare when their images aren't real. If they did have to state whether their images are altered, it would truly decrease the amount of unrealistic expectations of beauty that come arise.

An article in the Huffington Post speaks about Photoshop saying, "This may seem obvious to say, but magazines aren't using these images because they just don't understand or care that Photoshopping promotes unrealistic and highly problematic representations of beauty. They get it." (Perle) If companies who use Photoshop really thought about the repercussions for completely altering an image, this wouldn't be such an issue. They clearly don't realize how many people they are affecting by setting these unrealistic standards of beauty. Photoshop is just a small part of how the unrealistic body image in the media leads to a negative body image, but banning it in the media would be one big step towards combating this problem.

As a teenage girl who is very connected on social media, I understand the effect that the media can have. I have not struggled with an eating disorder, but I do recognize the negative influence that the media has and how it can make you feel. It is impossible to scroll through images on Instagram without seeing something that even slightly lowers your self-esteem. Celebrities are constantly posting pictures of their glamorous lives and always seem to look perfect, and there are models with perfect bodies posting pictures in bikinis. These women are whom are generation seem to focus on and look up to but the pictures that we see of them every day are almost impossible to live up to. 

Of course some of these images are photo shopped, but a lot of these models are actually that thin which makes it even harder not to think, why am I not that skinny? What do I have to do to get a body like that? What we see in the media raises questions like these in every girl's brain and we begin to feel bad about ourselves. Our self-esteem is lowered and sometimes some people do drastic things to try and be as thin as that one model we saw in that one picture on social media this morning. It's clearly not the norm to be that thin, but since the media is showing us all these girls who really are that thin, we begin to doubt ourselves and think that we are the ones who are not normal, not them.

I struggle with these reoccurring questions in my head constantly as I scroll through my Instagram. Although, I have never let the negative influence of the media affect me further than just feeling momentarily bad about my body and myself. I have found a way to turn this low self-esteem into motivation and I believe that if other girls can do the same then this would be a huge way to begin to resolve this issue. Instead of continuing to sit around, scroll through my phone, and wish I looked like a Victoria's Secret model, I decided to make a lifestyle change. If the major media companies aren't all taking huge steps to combat this problem, it's a change we are going to have to make on our own. It is up to us to decide how we look at these images and what to take from them. "You may not be able to escape the media's reach, but you don't have to live by its rules." (Berninger) Don't let the media tell you how to live your life. There isn't a realistic way to completely escape from the media and avoid it altogether so your reaction to the images in the media is up to you. It's important to have a healthy mindset and lifestyle so that you're confident and comfortable in your own body. If the media isn't making any huge changes to promote a healthier body image, then we need to make our own changes. 

Although the media in America hasn't quite recognized the severity of this issue and how much their images are negatively affecting teenage girls, some countries are beginning to pick up on it and take action. France has just recently passed a law to ban modeling agencies from using super skinny models. Fashion agencies are not allowed to hire women who have a BMI under 18, which is considered weighing about 121 pounds at 5'7" (Stampler). The bill requires models to present a medical certificate that states they have a BMI above 18, which is what the government believes to be healthy. 

If more modeling agencies were able to get on board then girls would stop feeling like they aren't skinny enough and attempt to reach these unrealistic standards. This law is a step towards stopping the unrealistic ideals of thinness in the media and preventing eating disorders. Some people are protesting this bill and saying, "thinness does not always connote disease." (Stampler). Of course thinness is not the only cause of eating disorders but the portrayal of thinness in the media is certainly a factor. If modeling agencies did not hire extremely thin girls, we wouldn't be exposed to these unrealistic body types. 

If other countries and agencies were to get on board with this issue and take a stand, teenage girls wouldn't have to be surrounded by unrealistic ideals of beauty on television and in social media every day and it would be a huge step towards combating this problem overall. 

While we wait for the media as a whole to realize the negative effect that they have on teenage girls and make a change, we can try to change our own mindsets and not let the media have such a strong pull over us. Although, this is only a temporary solution and it is definitely easier said than done for the majority of teenage girls who are exposed to social media every day. Ultimately, the media needs to get on board with this problem and realize the consequences. Teenage girls are surrounded by the media every day in today's society, whether it is through the television or on social media, it is practically unavoidable. They see images of extremely thin and beautiful women who appear to live such glamorous lives and their mind leads them to believe they need to be that skinny to be happy. The media is causing teenage girls to have a negative body image because girls see these images in the media and feel that they aren't good enough. They constantly compare their appearance to what they see in the media and are unable to recognize how unrealistic and unattainable these standards are. The media needs to recognize this issue and start to make a change because media influence and technology is only growing so the problem will only increase and start at even younger ages than before. 

