Sixteen-year-old Emily watches her favorite show, "America's Next Top Model" once again. She is mesmerized as beautiful women flash on the screen. She wishes with all her heart that she could be as beautiful as one of these slim women. The show is interrupted by a dark-skinned woman. “She is the epitome of beauty,” Emily thinks as the stunning J. Lo appears on screen. Jennifer Lopez, with eyelashes longer than Emily and her mother combined, begins the commercial for Cover Girl makeup. Her face is radiant, without imperfections or flaws. J. Lo's last line remains stuck in Emily's thoughts. “Remember, every girl wants to be a Cover Girl.” “I want to be a Cover Girl,” Emily exclaims as she turns off the television and heads to the bathroom mirror. Emily picks up the magazine on the counter and stares at the women on the cover. Inspect your reflection in the mirror. With a scrutinizing gaze he examines the contours of his body, the complexion of his skin and the color of his hair; she frowns at the girl staring at her. His tummy rumbles and he reaches for the half-eaten apple lying on the counter. Taking another look at herself, she tosses the apple into the trash. She will be as beautiful as one of those women, even if it kills her. For girls, and even boys like Emily, the increase in long-term effects such as depression, anorexia, bulimia and low self-esteem is a direct consequence of negative perceptions of beauty imposed by society. Society dictates what is and what is not beautiful, through the use of competitions, models, celebrities and the media. In colonial times, the harsh environment required men and women to both contribute to survival; society values ​​strong, fertile women... center of paper... report an eating disorder: CNN Health. February 18, 2000. October 4, 2011.http://articles.cnn.com/2000-02-17/health/eating.disorders.wmd_1_eating-disorders-Chrisite, Catherine. “Nutrition and wellness from A to Z.” 2011. 10, October 2011.http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ar-Bu/Body-Image.Holliday, April. "Women's sizes by country." United States today. Gannet Co. 2011. 10, October 2011.http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2006-12-04-size-age_x.htmCroll, Jililan. "Body image and adolescents". 10, October 2011.http://www.epi.umn.edu/let/pubs/img/adol_ch13.pdfOur Bodies, Ourselves: A New Edition for a New Era, 2005. Boston Women's Health BookCollective. http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/excerpt.asp?id=1Nussbaum, Kareen. Children and beauty contests. October 10, 2011.http://www.minorcon.org/pageants.html