American Beauty | Teen Ink

American Beauty

April 22, 2011
By Lynzgae BRONZE, Philladelphia, Pennsylvania
Lynzgae BRONZE, Philladelphia, Pennsylvania
4 articles 0 photos 9 comments

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but then who is the one beholding? Everyday people are ridiculed for what they look like, and social websites such as Facebook and Formspring make the bullying much worse. I myself have seen messages to friends saying ‘You’re so fat go kill yourself.’ People, girls mostly, are always on the look out for the way they look, an ounce of fat is a liability for someone to bring physical harm to themselves, and it sickens me how no one tries to change this unhealthy mental image we have of ourselves.
People are told what to look like because of the media, where images of stick thin, large breasted women are thrown at young girls and images of muscle-men are thrown at young boys. From a young age people are brain washed into thinking we have to look a certain way to be accepted in society, when this is not true. I’ve asked many people what their ideal look for a woman is, and I always got a medium body frame, dark hair, and medium sized breasts. It’s almost like American society has set the bar for beauty to high.
I’ve had friends become depressed over gaining a few pounds and I’ve heard stories of people killing themselves for being called fat. This should not happen in America; I thought people came to America to escape from discrimination, when they just run into another trap. The average American model is 117 pounds while the average American teenage girl is 140 pounds. Does anyone think this is wrong besides me? Am I crazy for thinking that just because your thighs touch or you’re a bit pudgy you can no longer be considered ‘beautiful?’
And long ago in a distant time called the 50’s there was a woman named Marilyn Monroe, who was bigger than these stick thin women we see today. And she was considered to be the sexiest woman of that time, and even people now would agree she’s pretty sexy. So why are we bombarding young people with the idea that being ‘fat’ is a sin? That being a bit chubby is something to kill yourself over, it’s not right, and we as American people, and as people in general, need to change this idea.
All people are created equal, meaning whether your white or black, fat or skinny, no one should have to be ashamed of who you are, because I bet you can find one beautiful thing in almost every person that has ever lived.


The author's comments:
This is actually a part of a speech i had to write for english

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aminah3499 said...
on Feb. 5 2014 at 9:43 am
I totally agree with you. People should not be judged  because of what they look like but by whats in their heart!