I'm sure you're all aware of the media. It is something you see everywhere, in television advertisements, magazines, newspapers, the internet and much more. We're in a very fascinating generation in which our knowledge grows rapidly; all thanks to media. The media is incredibly important because it does so much for us. 1) It connects and allows us find out what's going on in the world. 2) It entertains us. 3) It influences us. But the thing about influences is that there’s always a good side and a bad side. The media can influence people positively. Like commercials and billboard ads that urges for us to help the homeless, or just people that are going through trouble. It helps develop awareness, social skills, and also inspires us that we’re capable of making a difference and to build a better world.

But the bad side is that not all of what they say is good. One of the most common ways media can affect us negatively is how we view our body.

You’re not good enough. That’s what people say, that’s what the media says, that's what almost everything around you implies. You're not good enough. You're never going to be good enough. But that’s the thing about humans. We’re never satisfied with what we have. In other words, we’re greedy, we want too much. If you're not like the girls on TV, they judge you. If you are like the girls on TV, they still judge you. There's always something they can say. Ugh, you’re too fat or, ugh, you're too skinny.

Who here watches television? Yeah everyone, why? Because it’s entertaining. So imagine this, you’re sitting on your couch in the middle of your favorite show, when it cuts to a commercial. A Dunkin Donut advertisement pops up and you decide that you want to go there for something to eat. But then a few minutes later, a weight loss commercial blinks on the screen, you see a whole bunch skinny girls and muscular guys, your stomach sinks and you start feeling guilty for even thinking about going to get a donut. So you decide to start a diet; but it's not only the donuts that you're avoiding, it's the apples, and rice, and eventually you eat nothing at all. You skip meals and exercise like crazy, and all to look like those skinny girls. What you don't know is that those girls weight 23% less than the average woman should, and it's unhealthy.

Looks don't matter; Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. These sayings are everywhere, and yet we live in a society where so many people, both female and male are harming themselves because they’re unhappy with the way they look. Society is content in promoting an unrealistic body image that plants in people's mind and gives them a goal that is almost impossible to reach. 50% of teenage girls and 30% of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, and taking laxatives to control their weight.

This leads to eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia, and it all narrows down to the "perfect" body concept that is repeated so often. And let me tell you how it happens. After a few weeks of dieting, you see that it's not working, the number on your scale is still the same, so you begin to use drugs, such as nicotine or cocaine, or just swallowing packages of diet pills to make yourself thinner. In fact, a study by the University of Minnesota’s “Project EAT” found that the use of diet pills in high-schooled females’ increased from 7.5 to 14.2 percent, and that’s crazy because it’s almost doubled the percent! And you may think, wow, this wonder material, I just have to swallow it and it makes me skinny. But really, drugs are the unhealthiest ways to lose weight, because once you’ve started, it’s really hard to stop, and they may lead to a lot of serious health problems.

But really, drugs are the unhealthiest ways to lose weight, because once you’ve started, it’s really hard to stop, and they may lead to a lot of serious health problems.

And this isn't only applying to girls. Even guys want to have the look that the media is promoting. However, for guys, it’s not only about losing weight. Most commonly, is the desire to be muscular. Because the media plants in your mind that muscles equal man. So, they start working out like crazy, and when that's not working, they use steroids. And honestly, steroids work. They may be a faster way to gain muscles, but is also a faster way to a heart attack.

But like I said before, they’re going to judge no matter what. If you’re too skinny, or is actually like one of those girls on TV; they say you're fake and that you try too hard to be something unrealistic. But if you’re chubbier, they say you eat too much and that's not pretty.

Just last year, I was also affected by the messages that the media has been sending out. I started thinking myself as fat and ugly. But then I stopped because I realized how pointless it was. Because I came to realize that beauty is in the inside, and I couldn't let myself to be walked over and give in to the media’s cruel judgments about perfection. Because no one is perfect, everyone is beautiful and beautiful in their own way. You don’t need to change yourself just because someone told you so.

So take it from me, and just ignore them. You can be chubby or skinny and still be beautiful. Everyone is beautiful in their own unique way, and that may be skinny, or chubby, but whatever it is, you have to know that you’re beautiful, you love yourself and you accept who you are.

And I'm not telling you that it is not okay to run into that problem. There will be a point in which you start to feel like it's affecting you. But you should never give in to their judgments about perfection. Every time you see an advertisement about weight or beauty that makes you feel bad, turn it off, and think about me. Because I'm telling you, you're beautiful, because beauty can't be measured by numbers on a scale. People come in all different shapes and sizes, but that shouldn't matter. If someone ever tells you that you are ugly, just ignore them. Beauty begins in the moment you decide to be yourself. Because like they say, real girls aren't perfect and perfect girls aren't real.