Society knows that over half the population is over-weight and the media still portrays beautiful women all over for the human eye to see. This puts stress on females to look the same. Just fifty years ago, being a little on the heavy side was fashionable. In the forties, Marilyn Monroe wore a twelve pants size. Many people today would consider that obese and heavy. But being plump showed wealth and to have distinct curves was very sexy back then. Nowadays, women who look like flagpoles and wear practically nothing are considered stunning.
Being that skinny is a lot easier said than done due to the most influential source in the media, the television. The average person watches around 116,800 hours in their lifetime and sees over 6,000 advertisements during the day. The television impacts everyone's lives no matter if you are the President of the United States watching in the Oval Office or a bum in New York City tuning in on a street corner. Through all this television viewing comes brainwashing. Females of all ages are being shown beautiful women every day and are expected to look and dress the way these women do.
No matter where women are, they are exposed to many different "prestige images" throughout the day. If I turn on the television to E! Entertainment, I am very likely to spot the gorgeous sisters Nikki and Paris Hilton cruising down the runway. The daughters of the Hilton hotel owner are both over 5"7", tan, blonde, and have the perfect slim bodies. Girls around the preteen age see this image and want to look like these "Barbies" and think that they won't be their true selves until they achieve this look.
Then after I watch a special on what style is "in" and what style is "out" according to the Hilton sisters, a Neutrogena commercial comes on. This commercial shows Jennifer Love Hewitt skimping around in a bath towel explaining how to get clear skin.