HOW DOES THE MEDIA AFFECT TEENAGERS?

86% of teenage girls are or believe they should be on a diet; the average model weighs 110lbs whereas the average woman weighs 145lbs (about.com), what kind of message does that give to the next generation? We're constantly surrounded by media but its controversial models and overly priced clothing can cause distress among teenagers. The pretty pictures we see in magazines are often not what we would see in real life but teenagers aspire and go to extremes to get the 'look'. As you flick through magazine pages you see what is classed as the perfect woman you start to ask yourself why everyone in there looks different to everyone on the streets. The 80's was the start of photo shopping and size 0 models since then it's progressed to editing out blemishes, adding shading and can completely change someone's face. To the delight of many celebrities they use it all the time on magazines and T.V but it has harmed many teenagers. Many teenage girls are focused on their looks but mostly on what they don't like and the 'perfect' models don't help their self esteem.

We need a variety of models and natural photo's because the images we see now are not representative of 'the girl or boy next door'.

- Amy