Advertising and Body Image

Is What You're Seeing For Real?

If you didn't see the eye-opening video, "Evolution," already, watch it first below. 

We think that advertising and body image go hand in hand, especially for us girls.

It seems like we can't avoid seeing advertisements everywhere we go. We see them as we drive down the street on billboards, we see them on TV, we see them in magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store, and we see them all over the internet.

By the way, did you know that after three minutes of looking at fashion magazines, 70% of women reported feeling guilty and inadequate? Have you ever feel that way?

Research also shows that an increased use of social media has a direct negative affect on self-esteem. 

On top of that, it is reported that 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance.

So, considering those statistics, let us know how you feel about the connection between advertising and our body image below!


About the Authors

Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart have been working together for close to a decade. This ministry stems from their combined efforts to help today's teen girls find their true beauty in Christ.

You can learn more about them and their ministry here: https://www.teen-beauty-tips.com/meet-our-team.html



Shelley and Heather have written a book...
specifically for teen girls -- and this book could change your life
or the life of a teen girl you know!

Find out more now


So, What Do You Think?

Is It Okay for the Media to
Edit Pictures Used in Ads?

Advertising and body image....is there a connection?

As a teen girl, do you think it is fair that the media portrays this "perfect image" of how you should look that isn't realistic or achievable?

How do you think this impacts your self esteem and body image?

Let us know what you think!

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What Others Have Said

Click below to see the opinions from others...

bad body image 
teen girls already go through so much and the media just adds to that. boys add to this as well saying they want a girl like megan fox. this makes girls …

Ridiculous 
My thoughts of that video is that teenage girls already feel insecure and making billboards, commercials, tv shows, music videos, etc.... making all of …

Media Mind-control 
I do not think it is fair that the media portrays a "perfect image" of how I should look. I LOVE myself, inside and out- this includes how I look. …

My Thoughts 
I do not think it is fair that the media has a certain kind of "perfect", "what is cool" or "this is what you should look like" . In my opinion I think …

Depressing 
I think what the media displays what a "perfection" looks like is really depressing. Through my experience, it affected me a lot even now that I'm …

Twisted! 
I think that the picture the media portrays of what we "should" look like is ABSOLUTELY TWISTED! God never intended for us to modify our bodies; He created …

Well actually... 
Now that you see that models are photo-shopped and edited, it is a standard to see teens and other women piling make up on their faces. Now that we have …

What is "Perfect"? 
Media portray's this 'perfect' body image, but what is perfect? Is it anorexic or curvy? Is it skinny or healthy? Every media source has a different …

That's just wrong! 
okay, so I just watched that video "evolution" OMW! That is sooooooo WRONG! I mean you have teenage girls out there(including me) who look at this stuff …

Horrible 
I find it horrible because girls thank that's how they need to look. I also think prople should be focusing more on teaching girls to be a princess. All …

Walmart 
I was sitting in my room today and I had just started this book, I had just finished reading this chapter when my dad came in and said "Do you want to …

so not fair! :'( 
i don't think that the media is being fair at all!!!! they lie and tell u that unless your thin than u cant be pretty. . . the sad thing isthat i have …

doll 
Honestly, the media emphasis on 'perfection' of a doll-like kind is disgusting. That video was probably six hours of footage, condensed into a minute. …

Advertising and Body Image 
As a teenage girl, I do not think it is fair that the media portrays the "perfect image" of women. These edited pictures are beautiful, but that just isn't …

My thoughts! (: 
I think that it is horrible for them to edit those pics, because us teen girls think oh I wanna look like her, when really she doesn't even look like that …

Not Exactly Beauty  
I don't think that that's beauty at all!!!! That's a computer,makeup and a whole lot of touch-ups it's insane what they do just to get the eyebrows …

It's not fair!  
The media is so unfair by saying that you look beautiful by looking a certain way. You see pictures of flawless people and feel not up the par with the …

God made me perfect 
i think the media is falsely creating a picture in our mind on what is beauty . In reality beauty doesn't have a true or exact meaning. beauty can range …

What They're Doing is going against the status-quo: GREAT!  
by 14yr old girl So, yeah, at first, I thought the commercial was about how Dove messed up the picture.It wasn't.GREAT FOR THEM!They are doing the right …

NO!! 
I don't think they should do this! It's wrong to make teen girls (and even older women) feel bad about themselves! There is nothing wrong with a little …

sharing your thoughts 
do you think it is fair that the media portrays an unrealistic "perfect image" for how you should look? it think the media has a very unrealistic …

Great Expectations 
It seemed no matter how long i spent straightening, dying, cutting my hair, or caking on make up i NEVER looked as good as the photographs of all the …

Beauty Needs Emphasis From Within! 
A person's real beauty is not what the package looks like, but what is in that persons heart! They might can edit the actual photographs but only you and …

A 7th Graders Thoughts... 
I think it's so unfair that all these girls on commercials are the most gorgeous girls. They make their hair all perfect and make them tan and make them …

Click here to write your own.

what is right now-a-days anyway? 
I know the media is a big effect on how we see ourselves and others. But who made it that way? The media is only doing its job: selling products. We look …

NOT OKAY! 
I think that its not fair becasue it gives girls the wrong idea, that they have to be that thin, and that they have to eat a certain something to stay …

Absolutely not! 
It is not only the media creating these "perfect" images. People (and I myself am guilty of it) can now edit their pictures on free websites. Now, this …

The media reaching the world 
Satan uses media to reach the world. He wants us to believe we aren't good enough, pretty enough, etc. He wants to destroy us. He makes what is bad …

my opinion  
Im a fifteen year old girl and had a low confidence in my self for a few years and its slooowwllllly getting better. And I believe it's from all the magazines …

the media is a negative impact for all women out there!!! 
and men too but not so much. there are so many beauty products out there for women and there are so many ads out there for them. i would have no problem …

Me vs. Models and What the World is Saying 
Here's what the world is saying on being beautiful: - You have to have a flawless complexion - You have to be tall and super skinny - You have to have …

What is this perfect image? 
I'm currently doing a paper on the media's effect. I believe that girls should be told that this image is not real. I had watched a video of a already …

Body Image 
One thing i want to change about myself is my hair. Its a curly mess and I hate it. sometimes I think if only i could have straight hair more people would …

Teen Self Esteem 
OK, I just lost 15 pounds because I felt so bad about the way that I look compared to the models in magazines, and I STILL don't feel good about myself! …

haha god didnt make us 
yer we are all unique but god is fake duhhh this is al a lode of bull the bible the characteristics and the materialisum that is media. all of what we …

evolution video says it is not a valid video. where can I find it? 
When I click on the video it does nothing. When I double click on it, it takes me to Tangle and says it is an unvalid video.

SO WHAT! 
It is what it is! The media is not FORCING any one to do anything- they are doing their job which is trying to sell a product. Sure they alter the way …

It's Awful 
I know when I look through my magazines, I ALWAYS feel horrible about myself afterward. I see these models with perfect features, perfect skin, who are …

The Ugly Truth about Advertising and Beauty 
Advertisers present a very narrow, unrealistic image of beauty and we as consumers should combat this by educating young women about true beauty and building …

My Speech about Beauty 
Heyy! Well, in school everyone has to do public speaking. I have won every year for my speeches and in grade 6 i did my speech on beauty in the media. …

Why ? ---Please take the time to read this 
Why change what God has given us? I understand make-up and the basic girly primping but why go past that? We have this ideal image of perfection in our …

NO WAY!!!! 
NO WAY DO I THINK IT'S FAIR!!!!! GOD MADE ME BEEEAUTIFUL!!!! I DON'T BELIEVE THE MEDIA OR ANYONE ELSE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME HOW I SHOULD LOOK!!! I …

that was ridiculous 
i think that it is kindof hard for girls to feel pretty nowadays because of how people have changed what the real meaning of beauty is it seams like …

emotional 
I saw the video and then watched it a few more times to see exactly what it was that they were changing. I watched how they made her up with all the make …

How I feel! 
Hi my name is victoria an i am 19 years old.Self esteem, i wish i had some! When i see beautiful women on television and magazines i feel so low about …

Media does portray women!! 
In my opinion media changes our whole vision of beauty in their ads.Beauty is just an element in a women.Your personality, moral values and mostly important …

Obviously 
First of all let me apologize for bad English - I'm a Dutch girl. :) Obviously I don't think it is fair. But unfortunately that is how the media works. …

terrible... 
I think that these ads are ridiculous. This makes both young teens and older women want to look that way,and then they develop anorexia, bulemia, etc. …

Ads Impact a Lot ! 
I think that Ads and other forms of media that portray women as "perfect" affect many "normal" women's views of their own appearance. I know that whenever …

Click here to write your own.

The real reason models and actresses are thin 
I'm a former stage manager who is trying to get back into the media industry after many years. The real reason so many models and actresses are so thin …

Unreachable Standard 
I think that it is completely unfair. The media shows teen girls a standard, a standard they think they have to live up to, but they can't, it's impossible. …

Girl Surrviving In Beauty"Queens" City 
I think it's horrible that someone would edit a picture of them, It's really rude. I am a soon to be teenager and I have been a Christian girl for many …

Real Vs. Fake Beauty 
Anyone can go to their local supermarket and grab a magazine off of the shelf. Inside this magazine and even on the cover you will find these glossy and …

What is in this world is not ours 
I think that as The Bible says that what is in the world is simply the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life; as a Christian girl …

Being yourself... 
Being yourself it's much more important than trying to cover your face with all that make up trying to be someone that you aren't someone that just worships …

Beauty 
Every girl these days are pressured almost everyday about how they look. When you look at for example...CoverGirl ads or when you look at models pictures …

not-fair-to-girls 
Girls are measuring themselves up to the media - which is portraying unrealistic women. So much of a girl's self worth these days is based on how attractive …

Let's be REAL teens with REAL beauty, not freakish alien lollipops. Look human!! 
Personally, I think what the media is doing is wrong. In that Dove video the lady didn't even look like herself after her 'evolution'. It's so wrong. …

It's too late 
I don't mean to be depressing. This world be so much better if posters and ads were not edited. So, so much better. But it's a little too late for that …

Not alright 
I think that it horrible how people in the advertising business take advantage of us by making us feel guilty that we don't look that way. It is NOT alright. …

oh my gosh 
Wow they didn't even need to edit her on the computer, because nobody has the kind of face & hair she does right after the makeup-specialists made her …

Not Right At All 
I DO NOT think that this is right. The first time I saw this video I was shocked. The media has made me so naive to think that people are actually perfect …

NO WAY!!!!! 
I personally think it is unfair and the media is responsible for some girls low self esteem.

Media's Wrong Choices. 
I think it is NOT at all right for the media to fix pictures and make those people look so beautiful. My reasons are because... #1.It takes so long …

True Beauty No One is Perfect 
I think no one is perfect. However, I used to think all celebrities are perfect, but when I look at them without make up they are just like us. That …

Why not? 
I think it's okay for the media to do that. They obviously had that woman's permission. If women feel insecure about it, well, bummer for them. The media …

Stunned and a little Disgusted 
I can't believe they would edit that woman's already beautiful face! Well, to tell you my opinion.... it's almost typical.

Gorgeous in our own way 
Editing pictures for the media is definitely not okay! It is taking normal girls that are pretty and making them glamorous! It gives girls wrong ideas …

my media ideas 
I think that it is not right for a person to transmute some one else's appearance. I believe that every one has the right to look the way God made them, …

it doesn't have to be this way... 
The video was really insightful. I ended up putting it on myspace because I wanted my friends to see the message as well. We don't need to pretend... We …

who looks like that? 
I really hate the fact that the media edits pics, to measure up to their standards. 1) If they are selling a product, how do you know that anything …

be yourself....it's more beautiful! 
I think that girls looks a lot better than they do when they just try to be themselves then they do when they pretend to be something they're not. …

the media is corrupted 
I think that the media is corrupted these days, and they don't truly realize what they are doing to children today. What would the world be like if …

surprised 
I knew there was extensive make-up and that they deleted veins out of eyes and whitened teeth. What I didn't know about was lengthening necks and widening …

Click here to write your own.

my prayer for young women! 
Wow! I knew that models were airbrushed to have the appearance of flawless skin, but I had no idea that with computer graphics the actual POSITION of …

let's be real 
It really irritates me that the media edits pictures of models. When I saw the video "Evolution" on this site, I didn't think that the model needed to …

Click here to write your own.




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