There is one problem, abundant in our society as a whole, which although it doesnot directly affect me, I would like to change nevertheless. This problem isweight discrimination. Don't laugh; it's true. Our society, supported anddictated by the media, such as magazines and television, say that to be beautifulor desirable, one must be pencil thin and drop dead gorgeous. As a result, thoseof us who do not look like Niki Taylor or Cindy Crawford end up feeling"fat" and unworthy. We read magazines like YM, 'Teen, or Seventeen, andall we see are waifs of girls who 95% of us do not look like and cannot relateto!

I can personally relate to this. I am 5'1" and average weight.However, whenever I read a magazine and see all of those skinny models, I beginto get the "Diet Syndrome," as I call it. I begin to think, "Gosh,I want to look like a model. I need to go on a diet and lose 10 pounds." Iknow that there are many other teenage girls (or guys) who feel the same way.These destructive emotions, which can lead to eating disorders, are so pointless.I wish that magazines published for teenagers would show a variety of models, sothose of us who are not physically "perfect" do not suffer from a lossof self-esteem. How much we weigh, if we have pimples, and if our hair is perfect do notdictate what kind of person we are; our inner qualities do, and I really wishthat society would realize that.

If some of us would like to enjoy a fewsimple pleasures in life (like eating a scoop of Ben and Jerry's ice cream orhaving a candy bar), then we do not need, or deserve to be condemned by societyand told that something is wrong with us! Nothing is wrong! We, as human beings,have the right to enjoy ourselves, and should not be spending valuable timecomparing our bodies to models. Those goals are unattainable for most of us, andwe should learn to get rid of body labels and weight discrimination. If someoneis overweight, they do not need to be chastised and discriminated against. We areall the same inside.

I feel that this a societal problem, and if the mediaand society do not stop being discriminatory, then neither will teenagers.n