• 58 % of female characters in movies had comments made about their looks

• 24% of male characters in the movies had comments made about their looks.

• 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

• 6 out of 10 teenage girls think they’d be happier if they were thinner’.

• While only 19% of teenage girls are ‘overweight’, 67% think they ‘need to lose weight’.

• 2/3 of teenage girls would consider plastic surgery and 20% would do it right now.

• 90 percent of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25.

• 9 out of 10 teen boys are unhappy with their appearance.

• 25% of teen boys would consider cosmetic surgery to try and improve their looks.

• 84% of boys surveyed feel if they could tone up and get in shape it would improve their life and they would be happier.

• 52% of teen boys are unhappy with their overall body shape.

• 35% of teen boys are unhappy with their height.

• When asked “Do you worry about your body size and shape?” 58% said two or three times a week, 11% said hourly, and 28% said every day.

• 7 out of 10 envy other males with great physique. ( specifically: 64% envy celebrities, 22% envy their best friend, 46% envy other classmates in general, and 13% envy their brother)

• 76% of teen boys say they have felt down about their looks.

• When asked “Do you think you are attractive to girls?” 13% said very attractive, 32% said reasonably attractive, 55% said not attractive at all.

In today’s world the standard of perfection for females is warping the way teenage girls see themselves, not to mention rearranging their values and priorities. To them the most important quality they have is outward appearance. Girls beg to use make up and have trendy clothes at a younger and younger age. It’s not simply about taking care of your body and being healthy it’s about a constant up hill climb to be prettier or thinner and always striving to go to the next level. There is no satisfaction with oneself and there is definitely no embracing the gifts and talents God has given us to use towards our purpose in life. There are a frightening number of girls who are convinced that they must go on diets to lose weight which leads to eating disorders or at the very least unhealthy eating habits.

All of this stems from the root problem of the way a person defines themselves. Teenage girls are bombarded with media that urges them to be beautiful because that’s all that matters. Or what might be most disturbing is that many young girls learn these ideas from their mothers. Perhaps they have watched their mothers or other female role models unintentionally demonstrate this behavior to them by becoming dissatisfied with who they are and pursue any avenue to find “peace” with themselves. Whatever the cause we should stop the madness and see what God has to say about it.

“Finding ourselves” consists of discovering what God has put us on this earth to do and developing our unique gifts and talents to fulfill that purpose. The best way to teach any life lesson is to live it out in front of your teen. Encourage your teen to truly know and love who God made them to be.

This year, the average consumer will see or hear 1 million marketing messages....

That is almost 3,000 messages per day. This can be extremely overwhelming for a teenager that is going through one of life’s biggest transitions. By the media’s standard we are taught that the outward appearance is the only thing that truly matters. It doesn't matter how kind, generous, intelligent or loving a person is. All that matters is how they look on the outside. Unfortunately the standard that is set is almost impossible to achieve. In fact, today's models generally weigh 23% less then the average woman. What is it that we are being enticed to believe? Do we believe if we look a certain way, we will feel contentment, happiness, be successful, or feel more attractive? It is so easy to believe these lies. Even as adults we find ourselves buying into these false ideas of what truly makes a person worth while. If you and I struggle with this, just imagine how much more your teen feels the pressure to be somebody other than who they truly are.

The way teens define themselves affects their choices and actions. An unhealthy self image can be damaging spiritually for anyone. We must remember the things that really count. We need to be reminded that we were made in the very image of God. We have to help our teens realize that God made them just the way they are. God looked at his creation and he said “It is good”.