This topic is very prevalent to me because I feel it has personally affected me and many people I know and I feel it still does. I'm interested in this topic because I feel there is so much information out there that I have not read or even tried to find. The topic is so fascinating because the same issue is very different for each individual person. The way an advertisement affects one person could be entirely different to how someone else views it. I also feel the stereotypes that the media portrays in advertisements can be extremely harmful for a person's self-esteem, especially the younger they are. 

When I read a magazine, almost all the advertisements contain a tall, extremely skinny model. On top of that, the picture is usually altered to the point if I were to walk past the person in the picture I wouldn't recognize them. I am qualified to write about this because I'm passionate about this topic and will take the research seriously as to get the best evidence I can. This research will help to shed light on an issue that affects many people yet is pushed aside. It seems people are more and more willing to critique themselves and strangers rather than see the beauty and amazing quality a person has. 

The first article is about how advertisements can create such a gap between the ordinary everyday person and those in magazines and in television commercials. It is because of this gap that people start to think so horrible about themselves and how they look. These posters, billboards, and advertisements in magazines make us second guess ourselves and create a standard so high it is impossible to reach. 

The article's major values are for people to think of themselves in a healthy way.  Also about how the fashion industry has such an influence on people everywhere at all times. It is through their media that is unavoidable that can really make a person think about themselves in a harmful way. 

Jessica Bennett is very credible and would be a great source to use in my essay. She is a senior writer for the Newsweek and The Daily Beast. She also uses sources herself to write this article. So for the information given there are sources to back her up. This article is biased because she is stating her opinion and her views on the subject. 

 The second article is about a study conducted throughout high schools across the country. This study analyzed the connection between how a person looked with their social interactions. The author was trying to conclude that those who might weigh more chose to identify fewer friends than those who were more fit. The article uses data to back up their thoughts. 

The major values of this article are of how the youth view themselves within relationships around them.  The people who weighed more felt they had few quality friendships compared to those who were considered skinny. The kids who felt skinny or "in shape" identified themselves to be friends with many different people. This article would interest anyone who was in high school or who has a child in high school. 

The author of this article is very credible. He works at the University of Texas in the Department of Sociology. The author uses a lot of data that is first hand and collected by him. The use of data helps to establish his thoughts and help clarify what is being said. This source I feel is not bias because it is based out of an experiment and the article is using this data to form an argument.

       The third article addresses the industry revolving around the body and how it tries to affect people. The central claim is that everyone feels there is an issue with something pertaining to their body. While you might see a skinny beautiful girl on the outside the girl herself might be facing an inner struggle to keep moving throughout the day because she feels she is inadequate. Everyone seems to want to change. 

The major values of this article are how much real experience the author has gone through. She has been to many pageants and was once a model. The article talks about the many protests that have been established to try and fight the industry trying to influence people, specifically women to change. This article would interest those who feel negatively about themselves due to influence from media. 

The author of this article is very credible. She is a contributor to the longest running feminist newspaper in the United States. She also used to be a part of the industry that is so corrupt with negative images and thoughts. Now she focuses on trying to help those who are affected by trying to show that everyone is beautiful and does not need to change. I would say this article is bias because she is using her own experiences to create an opinion and a view on the issue. 

This research question is very feasible and has so many articles that are for and against it. Some people feel there is no issue and that body image just affects some people but not enough to talk about it. When really everyone has some issue with themselves. In the perspective of the "industry", having their advertisements look a certain way is part of the business and is what help sell clothes or products. This is because in everyone's mind being slim is in some way the ideal. This question might need to be revised by narrowing the topic down to be more specific or guided into a specific branch of body image because the issue of body image is so broad.
