Imagine yourself, looking in the mirror, highlighting your every flaw. Abercrombie & Fitch has changed its sizing to only go up to a size 10. On the other hand, Arie now uses real, unedited models. The way the media portrays beauty has changed dramatically over the years. It lowers the self-esteem of many people, especially targeting teenage girls. We can take a stand together to let it be known that the way the media views beauty today is hurting more people than they realize. The media tries to embarrass plus size people by saying that you are only beautiful if you are thin. Samantha Romo, a sophomore journalism major who writes biweekly columns, has done her own research that shows girls today are risking their lives by doing things to lose weight quickly like anorexia and bulimia. (Romo) Allie Kovar is a health psychology student. In her article written to provide a scientific overview on topics related to health and beauty, she found that between the years 1988 to 1993 bulimia tripled and studies have shown that 1-5% of girls are now bulimic. (Kovar) (Morris) The way the media photographs and edits the models you see on television, in magazines and everywhere else proves that women are not seen today in the same way they were 20 years ago. Women are human beings treated like objects trying to shape how they think they should look and what is "beautiful". (Romo) The media especially targets teenage girls because they know that they will be the most affected. Anne Morris, a specialist in the Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and the Eating Disorders Program at the Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto, Ontario, has found that already... middle of paper... .I don't define you. It doesn't show the way you laugh until you cry while hanging out with your friends, it doesn't show the way your face lights up when you smile, and it definitely doesn't make you beautiful. Works Cited Romo, Samantha. “As body image issues grow in society, be aware of the influence of the media.” The crimson white. University of Alabama. 7 March 2012. Web. 12 March 2014Ossola, Alexandra. "The effect of the media on women's body image." Hamilton. Hamilton College. September 1, 2010. Web. March 12, 2014Kovar, Allie. “Media Effects on Body Image.” Health physiology home page. Department of Psychology. April 30, 2009. Web. March 12, 2014Morris, Anne. “The impact of the media on eating disorders in children and adolescents” Pediatrics and child health. US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. May-June 2003. Web. 12 March 2014