Euthanasia

It is disappointing to know that certain aspects of American culture have such a negative effect on the cultures around the world. It seems as if obsession with body image is the only thing making the world go round. Having a sense of individuality is a very important part of being unique, only it today's society individuality is not we make it out to be. People do not care who they are on the inside anymore, but only what's on the surface.

Most commonly, teenagers will perceive themselves as "ugly" or "fat" because they continuously compare themselves to the celebrities. "Body image is a phrase used to describe someone's perception of her looks, her perception of other people's opinions about her looks, and how she feels about those perceptions."(Eating Disorders Venture, LLC) It is amazing how much people obsess with how good they look. Americans have set the standards for how everyone in the world should look, yet we all come from different backgrounds so it is nearly impossible to all look the same and yet we still try to. Traditional values are being lost because our society has to set such high standards and most are not culturally acceptable.

It is always good to feel a sense of individuality, but in today's society that rarely happens. Between the media, news, and tabloids younger generations are drifting away from cultural customs to become who society says they should be. Take Fiji for example, culturally it was good to be pleasantly plump or to have gained a little extra weight, but if it's so acceptable why is it that, "Within 38 months, the number of teenagers at risk for eating disorders more than doubled to 29 percent?" (Goodman) Every person should be able to live with their head held high not matter what size, shape or form they are but the celebrity spotlight is making girls think that, "'Going thin'...is a perceived requirement for getting a good job, nice clothes, and fancy cars." (Goodman)

We are one of, if not the one, most influential countries in the world and more times then not our actions speak