"Just because you don't fit society's standards of beauty doesn't mean you aren't beautiful." —Unknown

Every form of media, from magazines to the internet, displays a standard of beauty it believes that everyone should look like. They have pictures of young, beautiful women with these long legs, thigh gaps, tall, flat stomach, and they look like a size zero. Then they include articles on how to look like these women by drinking certain drinks, doing cleanses, and doing the same exercises that celebrities do. No one looks like this, not even the celebrities, because this look is only achieved with photoshop. Photoshop can make someone have larger eyes, lashes and also make something look smaller. It is okay for you not to fit into this standard of beauty because no one actually fits this standard. Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes.

"I don't like standard beauty. There is no beauty without strangeness." — Karl Lagerfeld

Little girls and women all over the world are looking up to celebrities to achieve these looks. Many of these celebrities have gotten work done on different parts of their bodies to fit into that certain beauty standard. Even on the red carpet and in music videos, these women dress in tight clothing to ensure a certain appearance. It is hard to watch these little girls grow up by comparing themselves to media's beauty and trying to do anything possible to have that look. They do not realize that their inner beauty matters more than outer appearance. Not feeling pretty enough can come from media and is nearly impossible to ignore.

"To all the girls that think you're fat because you're not a size zero. You're the beautiful one, it's society who's ugly." — Marylin Monroe

Everywhere I look, I see a certain type of woman in every form of media, and it makes me feel that I am not good enough. They show tall and skinny women getting all the friends and boys. I think to myself, "If I look that way, would that girl be me?" Then I remember that is not realistic. I am learning to accept that I am my own beauty. If I try to be like the women on the cover of that magazine and movies then I will not be happy or truly me. Media has to change not just for this current century but also for the future. It will show little girls in the future that having a good personality, treating people with kindness, and being smart is more important than outer beauty. I want to see women in media of all different races, dress sizes, and looks. Society's standards of beauty should never decide how women view themselves.