In today’s word, we have a plethora of people, young and old, men and women alike who feel like they “aren’t good enough.” These thoughts become crippling and extremely detrimental to their well-being. Many believe that they have to look like, buy, or act how society and the media tell them, or they don’t belong.

This problem is not a natural occurrence. Children are not born hating the way they look or are. They learn to believe these awful things, because that is what the media and society tell them. Throughout our entire lives, we are bombarded with pictures of what ‘pretty’ or ‘handsome’ is. We learn that if we don’t match up to these often impossible and unrealistic criteria, then we must be ugly, fat, or weird. Serious problems like eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating stem from these beliefs.

Not only is it a matter of physical appearance, but also personality traits. Different shows, movies, internet sites, and groups attack various characteristics. As a result, those with wonderful idiosyncratic tendencies believe that they can never fit in with their peers.

Unfortunately, this terrible occurrence takes place more so today than it has in the past. This is because in our current world, we have so much technology that allows these ideas to be broadcasted to the entire population. Many stores and companies are fully aware of this and take advantage of this fact. They push their products, telling us we need to buy them to be happy or attractive. In reality, they solely push these awful and harmful ideas in order to sell their products. It seems as though their business has become more important than our well-being.

It is such a shame that our world has gone down this path. After seeing how harmful these ideas can be, it is crucial that more be done to change this.

No one has the right to tell you how to live your life. That includes how you look or act, what you wear, and what you buy. Absolutely nobody has the right to make someone feel worthless, ugly, fat, or weird. We are all merely humans, and no one way of being is better than another. We are born as different people, and the media and society have no right to make us feel poorly about being so.