The standard of beauty that women present every day places an unhealthy and unattainable goal for them to achieve. The effects are devastating. These impossible standards must be stopped and the fashion industry and media must promote healthy body image along with the idea that women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful, not just women who are a size 4 or smaller. “Appearance doesn't matter, beauty is only superficial”. We hear these phrases every day, however, we live in a time and age that seem to contradict this very idea. If looks don't matter, then why do industries and social media influencers use airbrushing to hide any flaws? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The industrial use of airbrushing is a major cause of unattainable beauty standards. A former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine admitted that this is true. Many of Cosmopolitan's paper-thin models were actually struggling with eating disorders, but you wouldn't be able to tell because of the airbrushing used to make them look fit. In an interview with the Daily Mail, former Cosmopolitan editor (Leah Hardy) said: “the models had 22 inch waists, but they also had great breasts and skin. They had tiny ankles and ribbon-like thighs, but they had still, voluptuous hair and plum-colored cheeks. Thanks to the tweak, our readers have never seen the starvation downside to being thin. The skeletal bodies of the models, the dull and thinning hair, the spots and dark circles under the eyes that have been falsified by the magic touch of technology.” By airbrushing these images of models, the media is giving girls the idea that this body is achievable. By trying to look like these models, girls become just as unhealthy as the unedited models. Some companies and organizations have begun to take the necessary steps to put an end to these impossible and unattainable standards. In 2004, Dove started the campaign for Real beauty, in which they feature women of all shapes and sizes in their advertisements without retouching the images. Dove also includes self-esteem toolkits and resources on its websites as part of its mission to help develop girls' self-esteem from a young age, so they have the confidence to feel happy in themselves and achieve their full potential. H&M has also joined this project. the effort to promote a healthier and more realistic body image by using larger mannequins. While most mannequins are a size 4 to 6, H&M mannequins are a size 12, which is the size of the average British woman. This would appear to be a step in the right direction, however, H&M has sparked a worldwide debate as many believe these mannequins encourage obesity and unhealthy lifestyles. One man commented on the article about the new mannequins saying, “Cover up those fat women. This is disgusting” Another said this is just an attempt to lower men's expectations of an ideal mate and encourages “mediocrity, laziness and self-indulgence”. These comments are exactly what is wrong with today's society and are why things need to change. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay While many girls are aware that the photographs they see of celebrities have been altered, they don't realize that the women they see in movies, music videos, and TV shows have also been airbrushed. Even the former star.