Media targeting teenage girls are emphasizing the ideal of thinness as beauty. When you stop and think about the fact that the average height and weight for a model is 5'10" and 110 lbs, and the height and weight for the average woman is 5'4" and 145 lbs, it's easy to see why this creates a tremendous health risk for young girls.
You can help your daughter minimize the media's impact on her body image by:
- Limit your teen daughter from this type of advertising. This doesn't mean that you need to take away all teen magazines, just be aware of which ones take this teen issue into consideration. Check them out at the store before purchasing a subscription.
- Start an advertising awareness program in her school.
- Talk to her about the health risks of being so thin.
- Talk to her about how photos of models are altered and airbrushed.
Parenting Poll: Do you think today's media is affecting your teen's body image in a negative way?

