Over the years, media has played a very important role in creating an image of how women should be perceived. From their appearance to their functions in everyday life, the media has made sure to portray unrealistic images of women. These images have led not only male audiences but also women themselves to believe that they must attain a certain body type or profession in order to fit into society. Women often feel obligated and pressured to conform to this vaunted image of perfection. The media negatively influences the way women are represented in modern society and culture. This can have serious consequences on how a woman perceives her self-worth and beauty. The ideal image created by the media is to be exceptionally thin and tall. This is what the media considers beautiful. This ideal image is found daily almost everywhere in advertisements which constantly promote this inaccessible image. Research has proven that women tend to feel less confident about themselves when looking at a magazine or television, which makes them feel self-conscious (Mackler 25). The irony is that even the women in advertisements are not as perfect as they appear. For a woman to appear in the media, her image must be enhanced in several ways. Women are often airbrushed to conceal their skin, but it doesn't stop there. Through various computer programs, a woman's real features are distorted until a falsely unrealistic image is obtained. You can see in the media, in almost every occasion, women being sexualized. From beer commercials to hamburgers, women are portrayed in the media as sexual beings. If they are thin and meet society's beauty standards, they are considered marketable. Middle of paper... A woman should learn to love herself even if her body doesn't look like that of a model. Whether you fit society's standards of beauty or break the stereotype. “We live in an age where the simple idea works,” Mackler quotes Carolyn. Body Outlaws: rewriting the rules of beauty and body image. Ed. Ophira Edut. Emeryville, CA: Seal, 2004. Print. Mankiller, Wilma and other “Stereotypes”. The Reading Companion to American Women's History. December 1, 1998: npSIRS Issue Researcher Web. March 26, 2014. Romo, Samantha. “As body image issues increase in society, be aware of the influence of the media.” The Crimson White March 7, 2012: n. page. Print.Silverstein, Alvin. So you think you're fat? New York: HarperCollins. 1998. Print. Wolhart, Dayna. Anorexia and bulimia. New York: Macmillan, 1998. Print. Bowden-Woodward, Kathy. Negative body image. New York: Rosen, 1990. Print.