Body Image

The Australian women of today can never be too thin or too pretty. In most cases thin equates beauty, so the present ideal is a thin, fit, radiantly healthy, young woman. In magazines stuffed with models and advertisements, billboards on the highway, and actresses on TV, the message of what women should look like is everywhere. The inescapable presence of these images in effect shapes the image of women today. It is very unfortunate that …

…One out of every 4 college aged women has an eating disorder. A psychological study in 1995 found that 3 minutes spent looking at models in a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty and shameful. 50% of Australian women are dieting and 75% of "normal" weight women think they are too fat" (Wolf, 47). Finally, the question remains...is this healthy? Is the current image for the "ideal woman" healthy for the women of Australia? Is it "ideal?"