You know the type of headlines that they bear: Cutest Haircuts! Fall Fashions! Lose Weight With Miracle Diet! Although you may not be the type of person to see these and avidly search through a copy of Cosmo Girl or Elle, some teenage girls are. Even though the magazines might not come out and say “this is how you should look” beside a picture of a thin and pretty model, girls get that message.

A study found that girls who read these articles were more likely to take extreme measures to go skinny, such as vomiting or not eating. Although I’m just inferring this, there is probably some truth that the people who wrote the dieting articles probably never tested the diet on themselves or others. It’s not just the articles themselves that are harmful. Have you ever seen a plus size or overweight person in a fashion magazine or in a clothing store commercial? They show these people having a good time and looking beautiful, which makes girls think that if they were popular and beautiful, that they would have more fun.

I’m not trying to preach without reason. I know that whenever I see magazines like this I feel my self-esteem go down, and I usually am comfortable about myself. It’s not like I’m trying to tell people to ban all magazines like this, I’m just saying don’t go anorexic because of a diet article.