It seems as though our world is on a fairly direct path to self-destruction. There is always the threat of war around the corner and there is always a new story of an abduction or murder. Through all of these current events, people still find a way to obsess over “controversial” topics that should not actually be controversial at all.

The specific topic I am talking about is perceived standards of beauty in the media. I believe that there is an issue when it comes to how women perceive themselves.

Actually, I find it impossible for women not to care. Despite the confidence I may exude, I still am always concerned of people’s perception of how I look. I think this is something many women would admit. However, I have come to find people are giving way too much credit to the media for causing this. Yes, there are thousands of models who are skinny. Yes, people see them as beautiful and it seems that these thin women are always the ones on the runways, on the covers of magazines and starring in TV shows and movies.

However, this does not mean that we, as average women, are not beautiful. I am intelligent enough to understand that on a normal day the people I walk past are not comparing me to Karlie Kloss on the cover of a magazine they saw yesterday. I know that the men who saw the Victoria’s Secret fashion show did not come to school the next day and suddenly decide that I am not pretty since I do not look like those models.

In fact, the kind of people that do think that about women are not the kind of people I want to surround myself with. Biblically, everyone is made in God’s image and is beautiful to Him. We need to surround ourselves with people who are attracted to inner beauty more than outer beauty and to people who appreciate the goodness of a person over his or her looks. If we could know how highly God thinks of us and how beautiful we are to Him, nobody else’s opinion would matter. I understand that we live in a fallen world, though, and that the insecurities of women are not going to go away.

As a Christian, I think it is important to teach others that the media is not the model that we should base our lives on. Instead of focusing on what the media and Hollywood says is normal, we should focus on the Bible and on God. We should draw strength from being His children and take comfort in the fact we are made perfect in His image.

Just because there seems to be a trend in the body shapes and types of women who are being called beautiful does not mean that we are not. It is very important to stay aware of the effects media may have on women today and to be able to understand that the media comes with unrealistic expectations.