Demi Lovato: Unrealistic Standards Of Beauty

Beauty is only skin deep; looks don’t matter. These sayings are thrown around every day. Yet our society contradicts to this very idea. If beauty is only skin deep, why do we airbrush people to the point where they don’t even remotely resemble themselves? If looks don’t matter, why are men and women across the world constantly dissatisfied by their appearances? It’s because our society promotes a certain image as beautiful, and anyone that doesn’t fit into that mold, is an outsider. It’s because our society feeds us our flaws for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are born into a world with unrealistic standards of beauty, and impossible goals that neither men nor women can obtain. Is it not time that we advertise a healthy body image for a change,

A former Disney Channel actress, Demi Lovato, has spoken publicly about her struggles with anorexia and bulimia. Demi was quick to tweet, "I find it really funny how a company can lose one of their actresses from the pressures of an EATING DISORDER and yet still make joke about that very disease" (Lovato qtd.), after an episode of a popular Disney show "Shake it Up" aired, and a joke was made about anorexia. "What are we promoting here? #notfunny AT ALL" (Lovato qtd.). However, Disney quickly issued an apology, "We hear you & are pulling both episodes as quickly as possible & re-evaluating them" (Disney Channel qtd.). Earlier, Demi had opened up about why she quit acting. She found it too difficult to see herself on television. "In the studio you don't see my body, and I feel all of my confidence is in my voice" (Lovato qtd.). She quit her show at the time, Sonny With a Chance, and received the necessary treatment in a rehabilitation center. "Is it just me, or are the actresses getting THINNER and THINNER...I miss the days of That's So Raven and Lizzie McGuire" Lovato tweeted, referring to past Disney stars, Raven Simone and Hilary Duff. Shouldn't a show that caters towards primarily younger ages teach kids that people of all different shapes and sizes can also be on their TV screens? We

However, instead of the desire for tiny waists, men want a rock solid physic. Alison Field of Boston Children’s Hospital, said, “We need to be thinking more broadly about eating disorders and considering males as well.” When you think of the word male, your initial thought would most likely be “manly” or “muscular” because that’s the stereotype. But what about the guys that are naturally skinny? “All the mannequins out there are these beefcakes, and we can’t even fit our largest size on them” (Dov Charney qtd.). 39.7 inches is the average waste size of an average American man, but the largest size they carry in a very popular store, American Apparel, is 33 inches. Therefore, it is time that we not only raise awareness for the impractically high standards of beauty for women, but for men as