Being stuck with a man who is materialistic in that respect, I looked into the world of 'beauty', I learned that most magazines (porn especially) is created from women who are trapped in that world - they are bribed into what they do - they feel degraded and frightened, their photo's are doctored to reflect perfection.  Then of course there is the world of fame - where they try to depict those very images - super skinny women - dressed to impress in the most provocative ways - it all seems acceptable, but in reality, they are all sick. The majority of them have some form of eating disorder (look at the olsen twins), they feel ugly/unacceptable, they are pressured into a certain look to get their parts.

Then there is plastic surgery, and all these people are showing our children, is that you, too, can look like them with a few thousands of dollars.  Teenagers are having enhancements, tummy tucks, liposuction - the works.  Its awful isn't it!  How are they going to look when they're my age?  How will Britney look in 10 years?  What a perfect example.  Here she is, a very beautiful young woman, and her own husband has told her she is not good enough for him because she dared to have some children and to EAT?

As some here know, I have 2 sons, I am educating them in a way that hoepfully will remove the materialism.  My son has just experienced his first (painful) love - she was gorgeous, but she was a very healthy size 14, attractive, but not overly so - she didn't dress like the others to start with (ie not too much skin showing) and appeared to have some self respect.  Then she changed, she became one of the others - she started dressing provocatively - she started to really demand the attention of other men, and my son realised then - that she cared too much about what men thought about her. 

15yo was a porn user for a while, I stopped it dead in its tracks, I reported the store that was selling it to a minor, and I educated him.  He no longer finds anything useful in it - and in fact he tries to get mates not to use it too.  Both my boys see beauty from the inside, and neither of them watch much tv, because its all such a plastic world full of fake images, fake people, people with hangups way worse than ours -

I say this because - I am still intact, no operations to make me younger - no tummy tucks, I'm a bit overweight, but I have a personality, I care, and I can love someone for who they are, not what they are... and I'm sure the majority of you out there are like that too.

I gabble, this is something very close to my heart - after years of being told I shouldn't be outside my house because I'm too old, too ugly, my body is used and undesirable :(  I was an insult to society.

Wrong buddy.. I'm back with a vengeance to live out the rest of my life feeling good about myself, not watching the garbage on tv - having self respect.

Yes this is a great idea especially about body image at young ages it is very unrealistic for my bub to have the biceps of hasselhoff or the skills of kelly slater