In today’s society, the majority of people, especially women, do not like their bodies. Women see what the media portrays as beautiful, and they hate themselves for looking any different. The media only portrays one body type- skinny. The truth is that most women are not “stick-thin,” yet this super thin body is the only body type that is represented in the media. In 2017, studies showed that eighty-one percent of models were underweight while sixty-eight percent of women wear a size 14 or above and are considered “plus-sized.” On top of models being unhealthily skinny, the majority of the content women see is photoshopped to make these models appear even thinner. Women are constantly being fed an unrealistic idea of “perfection,” and this idea is highly damaging to the mind. Women have been taught from childhood that their value is determined by what society deems pretty and not who they are as individuals. Many women even suffer from eating disorders because the damage of society is so detrimental. In reality, every body is unique and beautiful. Society needs to make a change and begin to teach  women the right lessons.

While body acceptance and self-love cannot be developed overnight, there are a few changes we could make to society to help the process. The modeling industry needs to implement a weight minimum. For someone to have a career in the modeling industry, they should have to be at, or above, the medically healthy weight for their age and height. When applying for modeling jobs, applicants should have to obtain a form completed and signed by a doctor. The form would require the model’s age, weight, and height along with the lowest healthy weight for someone of the same age and height. A weight minimum would greatly help to enforce body positivity, but it cannot entirely demolish physically based self-hate on its own. There also needs to be a development of photoshop laws. Any image that is photoshopped, whether in a magazine or on the internet, should be required to have a clear disclaimer. If the image is in print then it must have a label that takes up a sixteenth of the page. The label must state “Content Disclaimer: This image has been photoshopped.” Any photoshopped image posted online must be accompanied with the same phrase in a visible and obvious font, color, and size. A weight minimum in the modeling industry and a photoshop disclaimer in the media could greatly help to shatter the unrealistic expectations of women’s bodies.

The impact of putting these solutions into action would be substantial. Enforcing a weight minimum in the modeling industry will show a much more realistic body image for women. Considering that many women in the industry have eating disorders and that many women of all ages look up to these models, the weight minimum would decrease the percentage of women with eating disorders. Also, it would be a catalyst for proper representation in the industry. More “plus sized” women would be hired for modeling careers and be shown in the media. Proper representation would teach women of all sizes that their bodies are beautiful. Then, society would begin to reverse the hundreds of years of damage that has been done to the female mind. Labeling images as photoshopped would help women realize that these images are not natural or realistic. Women would feel less hatred toward their bodies since what they thought a “perfect body” needed to look like is not real. With both solutions in action, there would be much more self-love and body positivity. The standards would be stripped down and broken to allow for women to understand and see the true beauty in every body.