From a young age, people, especially women, are taught that to be considered beautiful, they must be thin, light skinned, have a clean complexion and be a certain size. We learn that from magazines, TV, radio and even from the people around us.

In magazines, we see blemish free faces, a nice bust and an hourglass figure. What some young people realize or understand is the pictures are all edited and airbrushed to fit that “perfect model” look. When children or young people see the “perfect model” they begin to learn that it’s how people need to look in order to be accepted.

This mindset starts when we are little and tends to continue. Sometimes getting worse as we get older.

“I feel really overweight when I see models. I tend to compare myself to them and I end up feeling inadequate,” said Giscela Carrillo, Elgin Community College student. “I find myself wondering how they look so thin and pretty. I then plan to reduce my food intake, but it never works out.”

Many people have dreams of being on the runway or on the front page of a magazine. They soon get their dreams crushed when they find out that to be in front of a camera, they must become someone else.

Most modeling Agencies require models to be a certain height, weight, have a certain range of measurements and even have a certain type of face. They must become this 5’7-6’0 woman who is toned with a perfect nose, perfect lips and symmetrical eyes. When people hear that they aren’t good enough, they could become depressed, sick or even make it their life’s goal to be perfect when perfection is not a real thing.

Daniella Mejia, a student at ECC, has struggled with body image from a very young age.

“I grew up a little chubby so I started worrying about my body at young age, like 9. A lot of people seem to think that we should all look like [models]. Because I didn’t look like the others, I was bullied,” said Mejia. “Since I was bullied I was always trying to exercise and be healthy because I thought it would make me happy.”

Not only has the influence of being a model affect other people, but it affects models themselves. Modeling as we know, have many requirements that models have to deal with every day.

According to modelalliance.org almost half of the models do fast cleanses to lose weight. 48.7 percent [of models] do fast cleanses, and 31.2 percent have had eating disorders.

Nannette Dukes, a health professor at ECC, says the unhealthy crash diets affect people’s bodies in only negative ways. The nominal weight-loss is not worth the side effects these kinds of programs or cleanses can have.

“In the short-run, it can affect mood and body image. What I mean by this is depending on what consists of their unhealthy diet. For example, eating a candy bar in the morning or eating fast food for dinner,” said Dukes. “In the long-run, it can lead to nutrient-deficiencies, chronic disease, unwanted extra pounds to name a few.”

The constant crash diets and body image issues do not just cause physical problems. Trying to fit yourself into this ridiculous model physique can also have mental side effects.

“68.3 percent of models suffer from anxiety and depression,” says modelalliance.org.

And in the end, everything these women are doing isn’t enough. It’s never enough.

“64.1 percent of models have been asked to lose weight by their agency.”

Society and modeling agencies also show false perfection with plus size models. Separating “regular” models and plus size models can be taken in a way that being a different size than size zero is not as valued.

What young women don’t realize is the outside features shouldn’t count as much as the inside features. We create society and society teaches us the opposite. Society teaches young women they must look like a “model” to be liked and respected.

“We need to assure the younger generation that being buff or skinny isn’t what really is important in life,” said Mejia.

Every person is different and has different features, beautiful features. Every person should be valued equally instead of shamed for not having the “perfect” appearance. To put it in the nicest way possible: a “perfect” appearance doesn’t make anyone better, no matter what the modeling world says.