Is 80 lbs good enough?

Last night I made a quick trip to the grocery store to buy tea. As always I got caught up in the magazines by the checkout line for a few seconds. Portia de Rossi, Ellen Degeneres's wife, had recently been a guest on Ellen's show where she openly discuss her story, one of modeling and anorexia (to watch the highlights click here: The Ellen Show). 


At 12 years old Portia was being objectified and "sexified", instead of modeling for others her age. The once somewhat confident young girl lost her self-esteem and started comparing herself to all of the other models, judging every part of her own body. She wanted to be in control, to be like the others, to be admired for being the impossible "too thin". She kept secrets, started obsessing over dieting and exercising until she starved herself to 80 pounds. 

Every girl and woman adores these models, secretly craving to look like them; but to look like the images, you have to destroy your body.

Portia still occasionally calls out parts of her that aren't "perfect" enough, but then realizes how unrealistic and irrational she's being. Today she looks into the mirror and accepts herself because she is healthy instead of constantly trying to be in control over work outs and food.


Females in today's society want stick-thin legs, a flat stomach with hip bones showing, tiny arms, highlighted cheekbones, revealing shoulder bones, a huge butt and bust, along with the defining haircut and iimpeccable complexion shown in the media. Portia said the media is damaging who we are and who we are supposed to be. Our culture is providing all females with an irrational, unrealistic, impossible image to reach that affects us every time we see it, and half the time it's affecting us on a sub-conscious level.

This is not me ignoring what guys have to face, but me explaining what's affecting me, my friends, and women and young girls all over the world. It would be awesome if we could start challenging the media to publish un-airbrushed, healthy looking models. And we need to remember, no matter how difficult it is, that who we are is just as gorgeous and beautiful as that girl on a magazine cover. Our natural beauty with our flaws along with our personalities is what makes us truly beautiful. 

Lyrics from Ke$ha's new single:
"Got that glitter on my eyes
Stockings ripped all up the side
Looking sick and sexyfied
So let's go uh oh
Let's go"
 - why do we need to have make up and revealing clothes to be sexy? I really don't understand.