If Goldilocks were a teenager now a days, you could just imagine her looking at a magazine and going "Too large", "Too short" and "Just right!" in response to the glossy pictures of female celebrities. "Just right" has become an obsession of teenagers all over the world, but sadly enough what teenagers consider "Just Right" these a days, in regards to body image, is an ideal that is far more Barbie than any actual human being can be.

Flashing is lauded, while fleshing is disdained, leading to many teenager girls starving themselves during meal times, then putting on scraps of cloth that barely have enough cloth to constitute a handkerchief.

At the stage of their lives when they should be learning how to respect themselves, to develop into mature young adults in anticipation of the rest of their lives, teenagers are getting multiple piercings, going on extensive diets and spending all their money on clothes that are thrown away every other season. Many blame the media for perpetuating negative ideals, women who barely weigh as much as a young child, females who look like the many starving individuals in Africa, yet their condition is very much a choice rather than a necessity.

Yet, I believe that while the media does have a small part to play in leading these impressionable teenagers to value themselves based on how close they are to the beauty ideal, the changing values in households are far more to blame. Its commonplace these a days to see young girls as young as preschool age dressed in spangled clothing and mini-skirts. These young girls may have been easily influenced by cartoons and toys out there, but ultimately, the obsession with body image is bred by parents. It's the duty of parents to ensure that their children develop healthy perceptions about themselves and the world around them, but often enough, many parents themselves are obsessed with their own body images, feeding branded companies all their salaries and putting on enough make-up to constitute a mask. Its no wonder that children brought up in households where parents are progressively more frivolous, end up teenagers that are highly self and image conscious.

At an age where hormones levels are fluctuating, when appetites are humongous, youths should be encouraged to embrace the ideal of "Just Right". But "Just Right" should not be the media stereotype of skinny legs, impressive bosoms and more flesh on display than the average butcher shop, but rather, an understanding that a healthy lifestyle that encourages exercise, healthy eating and appreciating whatever body shape one was born with, is just right.

Learn more about this author, Wispen Lee.
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