I can remember the first time I started to feel self conscious about my body, I was 10 or 11 and before that, I had never had an issue with myself. Growing older meant I started to really see what the expectation of what a woman’s body looked  like.

Whether I saw it on the social media apps I had at the time or stores at the mall. Those models angered me due to the fact that if someone didn’t look like a model they were considered less than, or not “pretty” enough. Hollister, Abercrombie, and Victoria Secret are just a small few of companies who have knowingly and very obviously photoshopped their models and it’s not right.  

Dove and Aerie are brands that should be role models for other companies that are campaigning the image of perfect. Aerie and Dove have promised that none of their models are touched up, and they have started to make a change to the “norm” of a model. They are using real, untouched, natural  women that most represent all of us and send a good message to girls

Why do companies find the need to only have these artificial,photoshopped models? That is where the eating disorders, diet pills, and constant self loathing comes in. 95% of people with  eating disorders are between ages 12 and 25 according to The Healthy Teen , an eating disorder recovery page. If that doesn’t say something about how these companies are making young kids feel I don’t know what will.

The ex owner of Abercrombie and Hollister, Mike Jeffries, clearly stated why he does this “We hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.” I don’t understand why anyone would even want to walk into a store where that is the mindset. Knowing that as soon as you walk in you will immediately be judged based on looks.

These companies are making  girls all over think that they are too fat, too skinny, too ugly, and not good looking enough. According to Richard Cendo, writer for the New York Times, during a study 271 girls said that they thought they were fat. 83% of those girls were really normal weight or underweight. Teens Feel this way because of the way companies portray the ideal figure when really it should be someone they can look up to. We need to celebrate our differences  and learn that “fat” is not a bad word but a body type. Each and everyone of us are accepted no matter what’s on the outside, it’s time big companies learn that too.