“I will never be good enough.” "I'll never be as skinny as those girls on TV!" "Talking to new people isn't easy." “I am disappointed in who I am…” These are some of the unspeakable thoughts floating in the minds of many men and women around the world. Many of them struggle with personal disappointment, depression, social anxiety, anorexia, confusion of expectations, and the fear of not being good enough. All this was caused by a monster, perhaps one of the most terrifying monsters ever: the mass media monster. Mass media has an extremely negative influence on both men and women, affecting their confidence, self-esteem and producing greater health risks. “Confidence can be defined as the judgment of one's own strengths or abilities about oneself.” (Ashbery). Because of the way the mass media projects the lives of the famous, many people disapprove of their lives and actions, causing their confidence to plummet. First of all, relationships seen on television or in a movie are highly unrealistic and perfect. Relationships are perfect because they appear to be effortless and seamless, when in reality the relationships people have include ups and downs and will most likely never meet the mass media definition of a good, strong relationship. This leads couples to compare their relationships to those seen on TV; causing the couple to wonder if they are a good match or good soulmates. This leads them to have low confidence in themselves and their relationship. Secondly, the mass media portrays that the more we are, the more we are, and that we can only be happy if we are rich. Maybe that's why people aren't as happy as they should be. “The society… at the heart of the paper… the influence on confidence, self-esteem and increased health risks are incredibly negative. The images portrayed in the media are highly unattainable, even for celebrities. People are influenced by the media in so many negative ways that any positive aspect of the media no longer has any effect. The next time a person watches television or a movie, hopefully after reading this essay they will have a different perspective and outlook. Yes, the media entertains, but understand that what is portrayed is not always realistic or wholesome. Next time that model is on television, don't be jealous of her perfect figure, don't feel regret about not eating for a week or more, and you'll probably feel like a zombie. It's time for the general public to wake up and start taking control of their lives, instead of being controlled by the mass media monster.