There has been an epidemic within the culture of the United States. More and more young girls and boys have been looking at the magazines, ads, billboards, TV shows, and movies, and the media in general and creating these images in their minds of what the perfect body and appearance is. The photo shopped models and the fit and in shape athletes are becoming today’s role models. This is creating more and more psychological and health problems within our society. Most teenagers and young adults already struggle with how they look but have not taken it to the extreme for example having eating disorders. According to the article “Why do Women Hate Their Bodies?” by Carolyn Coker on psychcentral.com, “80 percent of women in the U.S. are dissatisfied with their appearance. And more than 10 million are suffering from eating disorders.” This has become a norm in our American culture. People put their mental and physical health, relationships, and sometimes lives at stake.
I interviewed a young 18-year-old girl, Erica who has always been secure in her own skin. In this interview she began to open up and I found out that she too had small insecurities that she would like to change. She represents the young generation that has been influenced by things around her. Even though she did want to look like a certain model, her response to another question was interesting.
I asked , “What do you believe is the perfect body?”
Her response was, “A perfect body is a body type that you are comfortable with. Whether it is skinny or curvy. If you yourself are comfortable in your own skin, then that is the perfect body.”
This response was pleasantly surprising considering everything that influences us to form a perfect body in our head. Even though there are people out there with serious mental and physical health issues, there are people out there that do believe that there is no perfect body.
Daniela Barrantes
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