We look in the mirror and everything we see is negative.
What exactly is causing this, and why is it that we don't feel like we look good enough?
Many women are living their lives with a negative body image. Body image is a term which may refer to a person's perception of his or her own physical appearance.
The media has a significant influence on many women's perceptions of their physical appearance.
Women are constantly being given a picture of what's beautiful and what is not by the media.
The media. It has the power to destroy a woman's body image.
"Buy this product and you are bound to have those lean, sexy legs in no time."
What is the media really telling us?
People have the opinion the media is encouraging us to be healthy.
They may be encouraging women to be of a smaller size and to be healthy, but many women are facing health problems striving to be what the media portrays as "beautiful".
Women who don't have the "lean, sexy legs" are left feeling uncomfortable in their own skin.
Visions of females with the "perfect bikini bodies" are constantly being shown by the media, influencing many women in our society today.
Women have been known to use unhealthy methods of weight control that include fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise and self-induced vomiting.
In 2003, it was reported in Teen Magazine that 50-70% of normal-weight girls believed they were overweight.
Thirty years ago, the average model was 8% thinner than the average woman, whereas in our society today, the average model is 23% thinner than the average woman.
Women are continuously being told by the media they have to look a certain way in order to be beautiful.
A negative body image can lead to depression, low self-esteem and a woman comparing her body to other women's.
The media has the power to mend a woman's body image. By promoting and encouraging every body type, the media can impact a woman's body image in a positive way.
Having models ranging in size matching every body type would lead to many girls and women feeling less pressure to change themselves to be what the media portrays as beautiful.
Instead of promoting weight loss, the media can promote healthy lifestyles. A positive body image is critical to a woman's wellbeing.
Women who have a positive body image are happier, bloom with confidence and feel comfortable in their own skin.
"We don't need Afghan-style burquas to disappear as women. We disappear in reverse - by revamping and revealing our bodies to meet externally imposed visions of female beauty," Robin Gerber, author and motivational speaker, says.
By going to great lengths to be what the media proclaims is beautiful, many women end up unhappy, distressed and with low self-esteem.
We should as women be happy with ourselves and our God-given bodies.
The media promotes one body type as beautiful but beauty and healthy bodies come in different shapes and sizes.
We need to stop believing the media's marketing lies and be happy with ourselves.
We are beautiful.
