Negative Cultural Obsession

"Skinny 911"! The April 2, 2007 Life and Style cover is titled "Skinny 911." Pictured are very thin celebrities, once again harping on our society's obsession with weight and image. Carrie Underwood, Mary-Kate Olsen, Star Jones, and Nicole Richie are just a few examples. According to an article about Carrie Underwood, she was a size 14 in 2005 and now is a size 2 in 2007. Apparently people are questioning if she is becoming too thin. In my opinion, she looks healthy. Someone like Nicole Richie looks anorexic. She is 5-foot-1 and weighs 90 pounds. There is nothing wrong with being thin if you're naturally built that way, but when your bones are popping out there's something wrong.

On the other hand, whose to say what weight is healthy for her. My problem is the affect female celebrities have as role models on young girls and women in general. Every time you flip through a magazine the image of a perfect body is thrown in your face. Advertisements with flawless models are abundant. I don't think the public considers the fact that pictures can be edited and air-brushed. They can be misleading and portray an image that isn't real.

It is important to be healthy and be at a weight and fitness level that is right for your body. Just because you weigh 100 pounds doesn't mean you're healthy. When you're 11 or 12 years old you look at a picture of your favorite actress and think "I want to be like them." Today we hear stories about girls who are 9 or 10 years old and suffer from severe eating disorders. It's terrible. We live in a culture completely focused on looks and physical appearance. Realistically, looks will never be completely dismissed, but the issues women have with their bodies aren't improving. How are we telling girls to feel about their bodies? It isn't okay to starve yourself and their is more to life than how you look. You want to promote inner confidence and inner beauty. Kids are very impressionable and these skinny trends due influence the way girls view themselves.