Numerous fashion and fitness magazines display impossibly thin models, setting unrealistic standards for young women. Startling statistics prove that eating disorders are often connected with this extreme pressure to be perfect.

• One in three articles in teen girl magazines include a focus on appearance, and 50 per cent of the advertisements use an appeal to beauty to sell their products. ¹
• Twenty years ago, the average model weighed eight per cent less than the average woman; today's models weigh 23 per cent less. ²
• Approximately eight million women in the U.S. struggle with some form of an eating disorder. ³
• A survey given by Harvard researchers to 543 fifth through twelfth grade girls indicates 67 per cent of "frequent fashion magazine readers" are more likely to diet or exercise to lose weight. 69 per cent of the girls said pictures in magazines influence their idea of an ideal body.⁴
• An article in the August 2002 issue of People magazine indicates 80 per cent of women are negatively influenced by unrealistic images of Hollywood women. The reactions to these images prove their power: 93 per cent of the women were swayed to try to lose weight; 34 per cent said they had or would consider cosmetic surgery; and another 34 per cent said they would even try diets that jeopardized their health. ⁵
• Over 50 per cent of young women between the ages of 11 to 15 years old read fashion and beauty-related magazines.⁶
• Women's magazines have over 10 times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men's magazines do, and over three-quarters of women's magazines include at least one message about how to achieve a better body.⁷

It's obvious that the focus of the most fashion and fitness magazines is perfecting the outward appearance. Readers feel like they have to measure up, or measure down in this case, to look as good as the models. What they often do not realize is that the look they are trying to achieve is usually contrived.

Some models go through plastic surgery, some are “taped-up” to mould their bodies into more photogenic representations of themselves, and photos are airbrushed before going to print. By far, these body types and images are not the norm and unobtainable to the average individual, and far and wide, the constant force of these images on society makes us believe they should be.

With unrealistic images to strive for, it's no wonder so many women have eating disorders. Extreme measures would be required to make the average woman look like a model. The media's standard of success is a measurement of beauty and size.

The truth is a stark contrast to the reality magazines portray. That truth is that God made us in His image – with the potential to be beautiful on the outside and the inside. His standards revolve around attainable qualities including character, compassion, ability to love, obedience and much more. And his definition of beauty is far more lasting. Women need to realize that beauty works from the inside out, and taping and airbrushing cannot compare to transforming your heart.