The standardized image is pasted all over the mass mesia. Whether it's
Hollywood, the runway or glossy magazines, the message is clear: Look like this
and be sexy.
"This" for women is often a rail-thin size zero. Tyra Banks, a model who
has gained weight sincer her Sports Illustrated cover days, recently found
herself defending her shape on national television and in People magazine.
"I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not
as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful,' " she told People. "So
when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those
girls feel like?"
Body image is one reflection of how we perceive ourselves. Girls are three
times more likely than boys to have a negative body image, according to the
National Mental Health Information Center.
Catherine Hill, research director for the American Association of
University Women Educational Foundation, says it shouldn't be surprising that
middle-school girls are so concerned with their body image. What is
disheartening, she says, is that it overtakes other aspects of their lives. The
expectations can be overwhelming.
Read entire article here.
-By Latha Erickson, CNN
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