With the influence of the media via television, film, and periodicals regularly increasing, it is inevitable that those featured in the media will become well known and recognized, if they haven’t already.  Such individuals are bound to play a role in the shaping of societal norms, as they are often in the public eye and their lives and activities are chronicled as a form of entertainment.  This gentle exploitation of celebrities can be somewhat dangerous if their doings and lifestyles are not in accordance with what is safe, healthy, and socially acceptable.  Though many celebrities, like Britney Spears, say that they do not want to be role models, their influence on youth is undeniable.  Children develop celebrity role models and attempt to mimic both the behavior and image of that role model.  Because the media is often the source of children's role models, its projection of thin body ideals reaches youth constantly.  

            A specific group of celebrities that especially depicts unreal body image is models.  Models are often used as marketing tools, and because the advertising industry finds that thin images sell more than do realistic body types, the average model is underweight by more than 20 percent.  While the weight of models and celebrities decreases, the level of body dissatisfaction is on the rise (Halliwell 105). With such famous figures acting as role models for teenagers, it is alarming to consider what type of message about body image theses celebrities are sending to today’s youth. 

            Consider Gisele Bundchen, Vogue’s Model of the Year 2003, who is 5’11” and weighs 115 pounds.  These statistics categorize her as 25% below her ideal body weight.  Kate Moss, cover girl for Calvin Klein and Rimmel Cosmetics, is 5’7” and weighs an astonishing 97 pounds.  This “waif” like stature is 30% below ideal body weight for someone Moss’s size.  The average model is 23% below her ideal body weight (Media and).  A study conducted at Kenyon College concluded that after viewing media containing models, the body image of the subjects decreased significantly (Groesz 1).  Furthermore, the more the participants had been exposed to media images containing models prior to the experiment, the higher the level of body dissatisfaction (Groesz 3).

            The influence of thin celebrities extends beyond the runway and the fashion magazine page to the music studio and the stage.  Fiona Apple, whose waif-like physique has caused much controversy, attributes her extremely thin body to succumbing to anorexia after being raped (Starving).  Apple has established herself as a musician and a songwriter and is thus a prominent figure in the music world.  It is possible for fans to first identify with her music, and find a further connection through trying to emulate her body type.  Other musicians, including Daniel Johns of Silverchair, Whitney Houston, and Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice of the Spice Girls) have all recently been criticized for their overly thin bodies, which are all a result of eating disorders (Celebrities).  The immense influence that musicians have on fans poses a threat when an unhealthy body image is projected. 

            However, some musical performers are naturally thin and do not necessarily try to promote thin body ideals.  These musicians need to realize the impact they have on their fans and promote healthy body image rather than unrealistic thinness.  Furthermore, voluptuous musicians, like Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, are often criticized for their size rather than praised for their curvy bodies.  Clearly, thinness does not equate success in the music industry, and performers like Spears and Carey should help promote a more healthy and realistic body image.     

               Unrealistic thinness runs rampant among the stars of the silver screen, as well.  Cameron Diaz of There’s Something About Mary, The Mask, The Sweetest Thing, and the Charlie’s Angels films meets the Body Mass Index standards for anorexia with her tall and extremely thin body (Media and).  Starlet Renee Zellwegger was encouraged to shed as much weight as possible for her role in Chicago. The result? An emaciated Zellwegger with ribcage, collarbones, and backbones clearly visible beneath her skin.  This image was a stark contrast from Zellwegger in Bridget Jones' Diary, for which she had to gain over twenty pounds.  Though Zellwegger's weight was that of an average woman, the media continuously commented on how "fat" she looked.  Projecting a skin-and-bones image as attractive and desirable has become the mantra of influential celebrities involved in the media. 

            Why is the influence of celebrities and models so strong?  Susan Boon, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Calgary, explains that "It’s often hard to realize how much anyone influences us.  Even if there's no possibility of interacting with an idol, celebrity attachments can still affect people's behavior and feelings about themselves” (Bennett).  Such a strong connection or fascination with prominent figures in the media poses potential for striving to be like them, which ultimately could prove to be quite unhealthy. However, some young women find the viewing of thin models to boost their self image (Images 975).  A study led by author Ramona Joshi indicated that dieting women actually experienced positive feelings about their own body image after viewing photos of thin models.  Psychology professor Peter Herman explains that viewing such images helps dieters set a "fantasy goal" in terms of their dieting achievements (Images 976).  The fact that women experience positive feelings after viewing such images is surprising, considering the models featured were extremely thin and posing in fashion magazines, which are notorious for containing rail thin models.  Using the models as inspiration or as a "fantasy goal" only perpetuates the belief that to be beautiful, one must be thin.  Finding encouragement in such images is unhealthy and poses a threat when the majority of female models are well below the ideal body weight.  In principle, the women in the study most likely found the pictures to evoke positive feelings of body image because they themselves have become trapped in the media's emphasis on glamorous thinness.  Their idea of beautiful has been warped by the obsession with thin.

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