The Effects of Media on Teenage Girls

Essay by hamoody_moodyHigh School, 12th gradeA+, November 2004

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The media emphasizes the importance of physical beauty rather than emotional attractiveness.

Unfortunately, media does not show what famous people go through to become the envy of all people. Teenage girls are clueless to the fact that famous people go through many measures to look the way they do. Plastic surgery, fake tanning, and waxing are just three procedures these women go through to perfect themselves.

Along with a damaged body and lowered health levels, other poor habits begin to take place. Depression begins and the teen is no longer happy with her lifestyle. When all attempts to change their physical appearance fail, a teen's self-esteem is severely damaged. Personalities slowly begin to modify and the positive traits a teen once had begin to lower, leaving the teen longing for acceptance.

If this acceptance is not attainable, some girls may think suicide is the only answer. Many famous people also pay large amounts of money for professional make-up and hair artists along with personal trainers.

On average teenager can not afford to spend this much money on physical beauty enhancers, thus, they are easily discouraged. Yet, there are some who will fine some way to partake in this insanity.

They may be using their entire life's savings or even their parents, in some cases, to pay for plastic surgery, like having a nose job or breast enhancement, when their bodies were perfectly fine to begin with. Consequently, media places too much importance on physical beauty which can possibly be the root of many teen's self-esteem problems.

It is hard for girls to love and accept themselves because of the large distribution and influence of media depicting only one type of young woman. Girls are struggling with media manipulation, self-loathing arising from impossible standards of physical beauty, and heavy...