Obsessed with beauty, American culture seems to place more value on attractiveness than intelligence. Different media serve to reinforce certain social female ideologies (e.g. thin, tall, young, beautiful, etc.). The overwhelming pressure to conform to cultural standards of beauty and the importance of achieving these ideals of thinness and perfection are commonly shown in advertising. However, in 2004 Dove launched a campaign that promised to redefine such stereotypes. Researchers agree that a medium that depicts cultural norms and beliefs of “ideal beauty” has a direct negative impact on young women's perception of self-image. According to Bissell and Rask (2010), women exposed to mediated images, depicting extremely thin models, result in negative body image, low self-esteem, eating disorders and general dissatisfaction. The overwhelming pressures to be young, thin, and beautiful are the distorted expectations of American culture. Kilbourne (1999) argues that, "...advertising is one of the most powerful messengers in a culture that can be toxic to girls' self-esteem..." she further argues that adverts contain "...glossy images of women impeccably beautiful and extremely thin..." (as cited in Bissell & Rask, 2010). As a result of such advertising, many young women and teenagers have a manipulated perception of beauty. Research supports this claim by showing that the average American model portrayed in advertisements is 5'”11” tall and weighs 117 pounds; when in reality, the average US woman is only 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds (Media and Eating Disorders 2006, cited in Bissell & Rask 2010). Scholars state that “mass media can reflect basic beliefs, attitudes, and values ​​toward female beauty and can even influence changes in cultures when others are exposed to images of ideal beauty and attractiveness” (Bissell & Chung, 2009). However, , the beliefs and attitudes adopted by American culture are not creating a positive perception of true and healthy beauty, but rather a perception of shame and disappointment (Bissell & Rask, 2010; Bissell & Young, 2009). that constant exposure to these false perceptions of ideal beauty not only causes young women to believe that this is in fact the cultural norm, but ultimately leads them to accept that they must find a way to live up to these unrealistic standards , ultimately leaving them with a feeling of inadequacy and unacceptability (Bissell & Young, 2009; Bissell & Rask, 2010), some advertising companies have attempted to challenge or change these standards by choosing to use models that are not normally used adapt this “ideal” construct of beauty (Bissell & Rask, 2010).