To whom it may concern:

I know you do not know me, and could care less about who I am, but there is an overwhelming force coming from your efforts that we need to discuss. As a little girl, I was naturally attracted to the beautiful Barbies and Disney princesses. Their flawless complexion was more than a goal of mine, it was an expectation. As I grew older, my hopes got higher and higher. Not only did the fairytales lead me to believe a life of perfection, but so did the magazines. A desire based on images, I soon realized I was chasing an unattainable dream.

I could agree that your efforts are among good intentions, but the outcome is somewhat severe. You see, I am a person that sets goals and drives after them. Once this goal was set to have a curvy, hourglass figure, you could imagine my disappointment. Reality hit me harder than puberty. I soon discovered that I have little control over my own development. No matter how much I run, lift, or consume leafy vegetables, my body will not magically grow a 40-inch bust line or maintain a 28-inch waistline.

Girls like myself, fall into a deep depression, thinking they are not among the standards of ‘beautiful’. Why can’t my teeth be as white as theirs? Why don’t they have a double chin, or freckles under their eyes? The truth is, they do. It is a profession like yours that is created to slim, trim, and ‘improve’ the image of human beings; we call you editors.

I am writing this letter to inform you of how beautiful people are without the extra 'perfections' forced on by technology. Every bump, blemish, or extra inch is flawlessly remarkable in its own way. To take a computer mouse and shape him or her into the ‘margin of perfection’ is doing nothing more than devaluing that human being. Not to mention because of you, we sometimes now expect our significant others to be among these perfect examples, that we begin to be ungrateful.

A man with a great heart and drive to work is nothing without a solid beard and rock hard abs, right? A woman with an addicting personality and an outstanding work ethic is nothing without her large backside and arched eyebrows, right? These assumptions plummet the younger generation to think less of themselves if they do not fit the criteria set by media. We live in a trigger happy society; one that is more than happy to share the news of who is killing who, but is ashamed to show the true image of an everyday human being. Stop the editing, and promote confidence in the bodies given to us.

Sincerely,