To really explore the media's affect on women (in a negative sense), we must first look at the portrayal of women in the media. Great skin, flowing hair, long legs, wrinkles... sorry about that last part! The wrinkles were airbrushed OUT of the picture. The media's effect on women is of course positive... for the media that is, because they have done a fantastic job at convincing 90% of us that there is room for improvement, that the way we look is good, but it can be better.

Do you think the media could be responsible for the next generation of female clones? Helpless young waifs starving for perfection and carrying there insecurities into adulthood. A lovely thought isn't it? Or maybe I'm just bitter that my appreciation of beauty at a young age fueled my curiosity of beauty magazines and led me to an eating disorder. I was lucky though, I got out alive, some women don't, some struggle for the rest of their lives in their quest for a false idea of perfection.

By becoming a little media savvy I finally realized I was fed lies. By tactfully displaying their images on TV and in magazines the media found a way to convince me that I needed to improve, oh yes, and they did so gently with the helpful guidance of psychologists and people who study human behavior. What was it all for? MONEY. My money. They played on my insecurities to instill a need in my mind to purchase something that would make me feel better. And I did. As do so many women.

Ladies, beauty magazines are a business, not an example of reality. The media's portrayal of women can not only cause life threatening diseases, it can end relationships and ruin lives. If you enjoy reading beauty magazines and exposing yourself to these images do not do it naively! Remember a huge percentage of what you see is advertising, do not form an emotional attachment to it, it is a money making tool.

Here's an idea ladies, take the money you would spend on a magazine, buy a note pad and write down 10 things you would rather be doing than getting sucked in to a magazine that will only make you feel negative about yourself. You only live once, and the world is a big place, invest your money in new experiences and exciting adventures! Don't invest it in plastic that you purchased from a lie, sold to you by a great illusion.

Learn more about this author, Tania Virgo.
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