The beast preys hungrily on the innocent teenage girl, showing no sympathy. Both physically and mentally, she crumbles, diminishes, and weakens; but it longs only for her care and currency. She surrenders to its undying fraud. At last, it devours the skeletal, shattered girl. However, it is not finished at just one; it will splurge that same day on millions more. Day after day, countless young women stand entangled in this battle, being victimized by the beastly media and its portrayal of true beauty.

This monster conceals itself within our culture in a variety of crafty ways, with masks of its image being virtually everywhere we turn. We live in a generation where modern technology, such as smart phones, television, and the internet dominate a significant portion of our daily lives. With these technologies, the media lies beneath our fingertips and we are continually bombarded by the messages of the internet world. Unfortuately, one of the most popular messages the media depicts are physical qualities benchmarking magnificence. The unrealistic images of women that are broadcast today affect young women by creating unattainable standards. Modern media gives young women the message that perfection is being rail-thin, dressing in clothing that accentuates our figure, and masking our faces with superficial disguises. What ever happened to honest, humble beauty?
It seems as if media and reality are playing tug-of-war, with young girls wedged perfectly in the middle. Many girls spend the first ten years of their lives playing with Barbie dolls, and the next ten years trying to look like them. Many young women develop appearance goals that are unrealistic during adolescent years. However, their self-consciousness isn’t to blame. Teens yearn for freedom, however, when they turn on the television or flip through a magazine, unrealistic images generate unrealistic wishes. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 69% of girls in the 5th-12th grades reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape. Teenage girls view the thin, flawless women in these magazines and begin to view them as role models, burn their perfect pictures into their mind, and judge themselves in comparison to the model industry.

At our attempt to attain these perfect body images, we continually invest in the newest beauty products on the market. Alone, the United States Weight Loss Industry endows an average 20 billion dollars per year, including diet books, diet drugs, and weight-loss surgeries (ABC News). Engraved in our minds is the nonstop desire to purchase beauty products to ensure us attractive in the eyes of our peers, the opposite sex, and even ourselves.
Overwhelmed by the prescence of body images impossible to achieve, the “average” women become practically invisible to the world of media. Females look in the mirror and compare their reflection to the women of the media. Does the reflection match? If not, countless young women take action to achieve this ideal body image, even if it requires performing eating disorders, leads to health issues, or affects overall well being. Of a survey conducted, over one-half of girls practice unhealthy weight control behaviors, such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, and using laxatives (ANAD). The media uses women to promote many products, such as beauty products, food, cars, and much more. We have become a subject of propaganda. Many teenage girls compare themselves to the women in these advertisments, though the average model is somewhat taller, and thinner than the typical woman. While the average woman stands at five feet, four inches and weighs 166 pounds, the average model strikes five feet, ten inches and weighs only 107 pounds (Thoughtful Women). Thus, many women who manage a perfectly normal-sized body, when comparing themselves to the size of a model, they view themselves as being overweight and go to extremes to achieve a “perfect” image. According to Doctor Diana Zuckerman, in the year 2012, more than 236 thousand cosmetic surgeries were performed on females in the age range 13 to 19.

We are being brainwashed to hate our bodies so that we can buy unnecessary products to remedy them and waste endless hours on artifical beauty. As surprising as it may seem, even models are often dissatisfied with their body image, says Ann Simonton, a former cover model. In the course of preparing for a photoshoot, Simonton claims she overheard models around her complaining about aspects of their own bodies that they weren not pleased with (Anderburg). While many view these women as having the ideal body and being the pinnacle of beauty in modern society, in their eyes, even they are not good enough. This simple proves that satisfaction through beauty is unachieveable.

The meaning of true inner-beauty is ultimately buried beneath a mountain of brainwashing, air-brushed photos, and worthless material objects.  Our self-esteem becomes suffocated and eventually perishes when the beast invades the mind. We, as teens, particularly struggle. Our juvenile years are supposed to be spent attempting to figure out who we are, however, society is attempting to tell us who we are not. Yes, the photoshopped images of the media are bogus. Yes, if these issues are taken to extremes, long-term health issues can occur. Yes, self-esteem disappears when you look within the mirror of lies. However, no, you do not have to fall under the spell of the beast. Together, we, as women must battle and transform the media to mirror the standpoint of a typical, everyday woman. We can become a new and improved generation of adolescents and women who disregard what society thinks. We can finally proclaim that we are not zealous or shaped by the beast. We can defeat it together as many individual, beautiful women.