Growing up as a teen girl in this day and age, technology has had a strong impact on what we hold important. Many of us have movies and TV shows that we feel a strong connection to, whether it be due to the plot, characters, or inspirational actors and actresses. With the development of social media, we see hundreds of people advertising products and showing their best versions of themselves. However, this is simply what industries believe will most appeal to their audiences - a fact which we often don’t realize. These images are catered to what the business believes will most catch our attention. As a result, they are able to moldand dictate what we as the consumers see as the ideal features and body types. Seeing these photos of the “perfect” females everyday can have a detrimental impact as it inevitably causeswomen and teens to compare themselves to these models with “idealistic figures” that are often unrealistic in nature.

           In addition, this impact is amplified as the people we are surrounded by online areextremely vocal in critiquing any and every body shape and potential imperfection. Too skinny, too flat, too fat - It never ends. We live in a world where we are told what to do in order to beconsidered beautiful. Oftentimes we don’t immediately realize that in this day, almost everything can be altered. Lips can be filled - because full lips are desirable. Stomach fat can be erasedthrough liposuction - because an hourglass figure is what society tells us is beautiful. The most natural things - such as stretch marks - are seen as imperfections. It shows growth - that’s it. But somehow the people who control what society sees everyday have decided that marks are not desirable. Women are held to this unrealistic standard of how to be beautiful, and industries have somehow found a way to lead us to critique every single part of ourselves in that effort to be seen as beautiful by the world. And while our bodies ​are​ ever-changing and constantly growing, it is not completely a blank canvas that we can completely alter. Genetics play an incredibly important role in the way that we look. Some have an easier time gaining weight while others have an easier time losing weight. As girls, we’re told that we need to have this hourglass figure with a tiny waist that for some are simply impossible, just because of the structure of our bodies. My ribs cannot just shrink when I feel like it. The industries online make it seem as if the reason behind not having the picture perfect body is that you aren’t working hard enough. While I think constantly trying to improve your body for your own happiness and health is an incredible thing, I believe that that in itself should be the motivation.

          The way that businesses and the entertainment industry brainwash girls into thinking that only one body type meets the criteria for being acceptable must be changed. We are starting to see greater representation of different body types and various “imperfections” such as acne, acne scars,and body hair, which traditionally are not “feminine” or beautiful. Beauty comes from confidence and the way in which one carries oneself. It absolutely cannot be - and should not be - dictated by a couple of physical attributes as is shown to us daily. The way in which the media portrays femininity has led many to think that it's simply unacceptable to have acne scars or excess fat. Normalization of a wide variety of body types is starting to become more standard, and hopefully in the future it will be completely normalized. People should not be - and ​must​ not be -held to some arbitrary standard in order to feel beautiful.