As society begins to progress, one thing remains archaic: body image. People have always taken absurd measures to fit an expected physical appearance. Bound feet and boned corsets may seem outlandish but compared to the extremes taken by people currently, these are mild feats. Today, it seems that this issue has turned into a full-fledged epidemic.

Depression, social anxiety, eating disorders, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) are all serious consequences of the desire to be “perfect.” However, who defines perfection? The media industry and social perception created by it fuels the archetypal mold for an individual. Moreover, what is perfection? Likely, our mind’s image of perception is not a healthy goal; underweight and under proportioned are common themes of images in the media. Models are photoshopped until they are unrecognizable, creating an unattainable bar for even the most driven woman.

With unreachable goals, depression and social anxiety runs rampant in many individuals trying to accomplish the impossible. The link between depression and eating disorders is strikingly relevant; approximately “50% of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression,” as well. Often, those with an adverse self-perception focus on every individual flaw, which creates a generally negative persona.

It is not just a problem that affects women; men are also compelled to take drastic measures regarding body image. In fact, “more than four in five men (80.7%) talk in ways that promote anxiety about their body image by referring to perceived flaws and imperfections.” Statistics suggest that men are actually more susceptible to psychological drawbacks than women are.

Children grow up idealizing stick-thin figures while combatting the rising epidemic of obesity in America. A survey done by the Bradley Hospital and Brown Medical School found that “22.1 percent of [adolescents in that hospital] exhibited distressing and impairing concerns with their weight and shape.” The body image issue does not target a gender or age group, perhaps one of the worst diseases we have had to fight.

It is really no surprise—the media degrades women and men based on their physical appearance, rather than their talent or humanitarian efforts. They pit celebrities against each other, channeling a battle with a clearly defined loser and winner.

While the media is not the sole party responsible for increasingly negative body perceptions, the problem lies in the shaming of overweight celebrities and individuals. The diet industry greatly profits but our mental stability as a whole suffers. We create unrealistic expectations that we expect our models to uphold but then turn around and complain that they are too outrageous for the normal individual to possibly fathom.