American society has flourished in numerous ways. In recent decades, more and more of the population has acquired a better level of education, obtained more job opportunities and, of course, technological advances have been popular. Unfortunately, some of this progress has come with burdens. With the rise in popularity of technology, people are exposed to more advertising than ever before, resulting in the media's influence becoming extremely more powerful. This doesn't necessarily seem like a bad thing, until you take into consideration the messages that are often seen throughout society. The American media routinely imposes its strict ideals on what constitutes beauty, which results in numerous harmful consequences throughout society. Every day American citizens receive messages implying that who they are is not acceptable. One of the main targets of the American media is celebrities. This is crucial to highlight because young people, especially, look to celebrities as their role models. They read about them in magazines and follow them daily on the Internet. They want to know what they are doing and how they are doing it. How they dress, what they eat and how they stay fit are common interests that people pursue. In their research on their favorite celebrities they also find comments from critics, good or bad, who follow them. On the cover of the most popular magazines there is a photo of a famous actress, model or singer and a headline about how much weight she lost and how people can do it themselves too. Although the message is presented as a health benefit, the results in society are anything but. Although you notice when a celebrity looks sick... in the middle of paper... in the mass media. People who feel insecure about their bodies are getting younger and younger, and the outcomes are getting worse as the media gains more and more power over society. Furthermore, due to the growing influential power of the media, every time a magazine is published, more women are likely to be influenced by the woman on the cover. The more often people are exposed to harmful messages, the higher the rate of negative body image and complacency in society. This will continue to lead to a higher rate of eating disorders and self-harming activities until enough people can come together and put an end to the messages being conveyed. It's simply unfair that every day people receive messages telling them that who they are is unacceptable and that they should sacrifice their health to become beautiful..