The media’s portrayal of the ‘Perfect’ female body -
Sixty-nine percent of teenage girls and young women said that magazine models influence their idea of the perfect body shape. But what is the perfect body shape? Well, according to the media and the rest of the world, being a size O (Australian size 4) is the “perfect” size to be. Having the world being able to see your ribs, collar bones and hips stick out from your body is “normal”. One unfortunate female model was fired by fashion designer Ralph Lauren because she was “too fat” when she was a size 4 (Australian size 8). Stories like this point out a problem across the world with women and their body image.
Loving our bodies -
It is hard to love our average-sized bodies when we have ridiculously skinny women as our models for beauty in every magazine, newspaper and billboard. The average woman in America is not a size O, so why do advertisers cover their pages with them? Most women are not born with supermodel looks, a thin frame and the height to be considered a model but we feel as though we should be as stunning as the models we see in the media. Fashion models weigh 23 percent less than the average female, and a young woman between the ages of 18 - 34 has a 7 percent chance of being as slim as a catwalk model. So why do we all want to be that 7 per cent so badly?