stop counting your imperfections ladies

Do you ever stop to think about how the media influences practically every decision we make

According to www.csun.edu, the average child in the United States watches 1,680 per week or 28 hours and on average a child will view 20, 000 thirty second commercials per year. In addition, the average human is estimated to view 400-600 pieces of advertisement per day.

Deep within these hours spent watching television is an immense amount of brain washing. The images that are portrayed on television for young girls of what a women is "suppose" to look like sets standards in their young brains of what they will supposedly become.Therefore, when the young girls grow up in the "normal women" they find themselves unsatisfied with their figure. According to www.sirc.org, less than 5% of the women in the United States are able to hold the current media ideal of thinness.

Is it true that we as women, particularly in the United States, have this much dependence on the media and culture to influence who we are, what we wear, our opinions, and who we become.  According to "Inscribing Gender on the Body", written by Shaw and Lee, "Even though bodies are biophysical entities, what our bodies mean and how they are experienced is intimately connected to the meanings and practices of the society in which we reside." Shaw and Lee also said, "Although the body is an incredibly sophisticated jumble of physiological events, our understanding of the body cannot exist outside of a society that gives it meaning." Therefore, it seems to me that it is indeed true that we are incredibly influenced by the media weather the message it is providing is good or bad.

Generally, women in media are portrayed in a way that is either completely unrealistic or is satisfying a a negative stereotype which is often cast on women.  In the following video you will see several ads which are viewed by young girls around the world everyday who look at these ads and aspire to reflect the perfect airbrushed image of  the "ideal" women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbkDuUdk-QQ&feature=related

The following video is a clip of a documentary of a young girl who becomes anorexic as a direct result of the culture and media influences that surrounded her.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-LpRxxPw5c&feature=related

It seems to me that our modern day society's young girls are absolutely in grave need for some positive, healthy, and educated women role models. The way it looks now things are not getting better for American girls. Each day that these girls comprise themselves in order to more accurately portray the image of women in media they are putting themselves in physical, mental, and especially significant emotional danger. It just doesn't make sense that our society it encouraging girls to strive for an image that is impossible.

The following video is a film that was created by Dove in order to accurately portray the process that is used ads to make the women look totally flawless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

I would like to encourage all of those who are following my blog to become a supporter of Dove's Campaign for True Beauty. The campaign is being used to provide women, teens, and young girls world wide that each and everyone of us is absolutely beautiful in our own way. I really like the message which is provided on the companies website www.dove.us,

"Imagine a world where beauty is a source of confidence, no anxiety.".

All in all, the corrupted brain washing media which is being provided of our youth needs to change. Ultimately, it is negatively affecting the way young girls today think, act, and attempt to look. Unfortunately, it is clear to me that change in the media won't come over night. But, there is something that we the women of the world can do to help the young girls of today and its simple, just set an example. We need to show the young girls of today's world that its important that they feel comfortable and confident expressing themselves for who they are.

Stop counting your imperfections ladies, you're gorgeous just the way you are.