Teenage years are often characterized by self-image and self-esteem problems. But what really fuels these feelings? Is it really just a lack of confidence or is it the media’s portrayal of Hollywood’s actors, actresses, singers, and models? The faces that sweep the media are not only strikingly beautiful, but overly thin. Being skinny is like an epidemic that has swept televisions and magazines across the globe, but unfortunately there seems to be no cure. Because of these images that we encounter regularly, pretty and skinny become synonymous with each other. Young girls are forced to think that starving themselves is the only way to become attractive. This outlook on life is psychologically harmful and physically detrimental. Anorexia and bulimia become normal in a society that is striving to be slender. The media has forced us to view ourselves under microscopes and make us believe that our bodies are not perfect the way they are. Stomach, love handles, thighs – they all seem to be too big in such a “small” world.