Body image, in modern times, has become analogous foremost with weight, a concern that affects not only the psychological health of
adolescent girls and boys but the physical health as well, leading to everything from depression to eating disorders and smoking. Also, "Thinness has not only come to represent attractiveness, but also has come to symbolize success, self-control and higher socioeconomic status, further fueling self-destructive habits in pursuit of the perfect body and perfect life.

"In a sample of male and female high school students, two-thirds of boys and girls believed that being thinner would have an impact on their lives." This perceived importance of physical appearance to success is all-too-often encouraged by media images of beautiful, thin people in positions of money and power. Underrepresented are normal people who achieve extraordinary things to serve as role models for the rest of the normal people in the world.

One of the most serious and long-term affects of negative body image and attempts to conform to a perceived ideal is, surprisingly, smoking. Smoking is a common method of weight loss being used by today's youth, according to Frances Berg, editor/publisher of the Healthy Weight Journal (Berg, 1997). Though it may lead to weight loss, smoking can also lead to cancer and emphysema, not to mention premature aging of the skin and hundreds of other health problems. Despite the cure being worse than the condition and recent increased awareness of the effects of smoking, significant numbers of children and teenagers still take up smoking in order to fit a cookie-cutter image of youth, thinness, and beauty.

Unfortunately, the urge to conform to a negative body image is not affected by level of education. Another study found that 68% of a sample of Stanford undergraduate and graduate students felt worse about their own looks after reading women's magazines (Burgard, D.) Statistics like these speak to the need of society at large to encourage another sort of education, one that teaches women about their worth as spiritual and intellectual beings, instead of simply objects of physical value.

Liz Dittrich, Director of Research and Outreach at www.about-face.org addresses the issue of body image and women best, saying: "The message I am most interested in sending is not that being skinny is wrong, but to recognize that there needs to be an acceptance of the variety of shapes, sizes, heights, colors, and ages women come in."

It must be remembered that body image is not just a woman's or girl's issue, but everyone's issue, as it affects every member of society in different ways: young or old, black or white, male or female. Whether physically or psychologically, negative body images and negative messages about body image have an impact on everyone who witnesses them, which is why organizations like www.about-face.org exist. The education of women in appreciating themselves without comparison to skewed ideals is important for the future of all aspects of society, however small.