Size Is Not Beauty
Maggie McDevitt
English 1551
Richard P Logan
5 December 2012
Size is Not Beauty
How does one define beauty? Billboards, posters and pictures of models that reflect what society defines as flawless surround us. We see tall, thin girls and tall, thin, muscular men. As we look at them, their beauty is only on the outside. Behind the majority of models’ poses are people who suffer greatly with their image. There needs to be a balance between health and beauty. The drastic measures that people take to be thin are astonishing. There is more beauty in confidence, health and happiness than what is in thinness and perfection. It is stated by the late actress, Audrey Hepburn, “We must realize that in order to be beautiful, we must be happy and healthy first.” Today’s society tells people that they must be thin to be beautiful. People naturally strive to be beautiful, but by definition, beauty is not classified as how skinny a person is, but how healthy he/she is. Unfortunately, many people believe in the negative unrealistic version of beauty. As a result, many people suffer from eating disorders. People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and should not be judged or told they are flawed for not being sickly thin. Society should not glamorize beauty in size zero but should glamorize beauty in being healthy. The steps people take to be thin are morbid and outrageous and it is upsetting that society behaves this way. “I struggled badly with bulimia for 3 years before I realized what was happening to my body. My parents and brother really helped and guided me through my difficult times and if it weren’t for them I may not be here today.”(Caruso) People should not be told they are not beautiful because of their weight, or that they do not have the figure of a contemporary model. There is more to beauty than an outside physical appearance. Unfortunately, media tells people that beauty is primarily just that, physical appearance. People lose their
English 1551
Richard P Logan
5 December 2012
Size is Not Beauty
How does one define beauty? Billboards, posters and pictures of models that reflect what society defines as flawless surround us. We see tall, thin girls and tall, thin, muscular men. As we look at them, their beauty is only on the outside. Behind the majority of models’ poses are people who suffer greatly with their image. There needs to be a balance between health and beauty. The drastic measures that people take to be thin are astonishing. There is more beauty in confidence, health and happiness than what is in thinness and perfection. It is stated by the late actress, Audrey Hepburn, “We must realize that in order to be beautiful, we must be happy and healthy first.” Today’s society tells people that they must be thin to be beautiful. People naturally strive to be beautiful, but by definition, beauty is not classified as how skinny a person is, but how healthy he/she is. Unfortunately, many people believe in the negative unrealistic version of beauty. As a result, many people suffer from eating disorders. People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and should not be judged or told they are flawed for not being sickly thin. Society should not glamorize beauty in size zero but should glamorize beauty in being healthy. The steps people take to be thin are morbid and outrageous and it is upsetting that society behaves this way. “I struggled badly with bulimia for 3 years before I realized what was happening to my body. My parents and brother really helped and guided me through my difficult times and if it weren’t for them I may not be here today.”(Caruso) People should not be told they are not beautiful because of their weight, or that they do not have the figure of a contemporary model. There is more to beauty than an outside physical appearance. Unfortunately, media tells people that beauty is primarily just that, physical appearance. People lose their
Cited: “Celebrities with Eating Disorders.” Caringonline.com. 2010. Web. 21 Nov 2012.