For our Reflective Tutorial class we recently wrote a paper regarding weight stigma. I decided to focus my paper on the effects that arise from stigmatization. I was particularly interested in this paper because it truly fascinates me how society and the media portray what the “ideal” body type is. I read an article (that can be found here) that briefly spoke about the media and the effects it has on those who are overweight. It states that when someone who is overweight is depicted on television or in films, they are usually targets of ridicule, stereotyped as having maladaptive eating behaviors, and not featured as being a part of a romantic relationship. This article clearly states that “Weight bias in the media is not subtle”. I agree that the media, without remorse, instills these ideas of what the “perfect” body type is, making girls around the world (overweight or not) feel self-conscious about their own bodies. I constantly question “where did this all start?”, “who was the person who said that said “thin is in””? All around Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and many other social media applications, there are pictures of women who are sculpted with beautiful figures, glowing skin, and gorgeous healthy hair. Although I feel like we all know that these photos are not reality and they are edited with one and a million filters, it still has its affect on those who are overweight and even those who are not. When will society infiltrate individuals with positive messages and pictures of real everyday women. Women who do not wear pounds of makeup everyday or have a flat tummy with abs. The research process of this paper was one that I did learn a lot from. This paper really got me thinking about things that I never thought of before such as weight stigma, body image and the effects the media has on them. Topics like these really ignite a fire inside me because I just can not wait for the day that society stops choosing certain body and facial features and declaring them “beautiful”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder not the eye of the media.