“The media is ruining our kids!”

That’s what I pretty much hear from a lot people whenever we talk about some of the nonsense that magazines make us believe.

Now I’ve never really been one to make a big deal about this magazine stuff. But that all changed when I sat down for a little debate with a few friends of mine recently.

At the start of each week or month throughout South Africa there’s a fresh supply of millions of magazines. They all have different names and say different things in different ways. But no matter how different the magazines are from each other, there are a few messages they send us that never change. They may be using different words, colours and models, but the messages never change.

EVERYTHING IS A CONTEST! That’s what these magazines sell us.

SLENDER GIRLS vs. BIG GIRLS:

If there’s one thing that magazines never really miss out on, it’s making big girls feel crappy about themselves. These beautiful creatures constantly have to see magazine covers in beauty shops, supermarkets, shops and many other places, with the bodies of slender girls splashed all over. Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with slender girls. I’m just saying that no magazine makes these big girls feel better by telling them that being big is hot and sexy. Instead, they tease these girls with pictures of flat stomachs and outfits that can only be worn by girls much smaller waist lines.

The sad thing is that even these slender models they use in their pictures are sometimes told they’re not slender enough. Computer programmes like Adobe Photoshop are, then, used to “trim” their fat and make their photos look “sexier”. These magazines use these pictures without telling anyone that the models are not really that slender. In the end, big girls feel even sadder about their weight, not knowing that computer programmes have been used to make the models look “perfectly” slim.

Nowhere on their pages do they tell big girls that losing weight is only necessary when your health is in danger. Since when does being big mean you constantly have to see magazines that tell you if you don’t have a completely flat stomach you’re doing something wrong? Since when does being big mean you’re ugly? But that’s what these magazines seem to tell our big girls.

SLENDER GUYS vs. CHUBBY GUYS vs. MUSCLE GUYS:

In case you hadn’t guessed it, no one’s safe. When the magazines aren’t making big girls feel bad, slender and chubby guys are under attack. As a slender guy, I definitely speak from personal experience when I tell you if I wasn’t a confident guy, I’d look at my slim arms and start feeling really sad. Each magazine I see preaches the same gospel: if you don’t have big bulging muscles and a rock-hard six pack then you’re NOT hot, sexy or handsome. None of these magazines regularly show us well-dressed, happy and confident slender or chubby guys. In fact, what they really show us is that slender and chubby guys should stay away from vests and slim-fitting t-shirts, because those are reserved for muscle guys who have “sexier” shapes.

THE FIGHT BACK:

But not all hope is lost, though. Each time we see these magazines we have to laugh out loud at them. We have to laugh, because we know we don’t need big muscles, six-packs and slim waist lines to be sexy. Chubby girls and guys are sexy! Slender guys too.

#ChatBack: So are you ready to join the fight against what these magazines say?

Are you ready to stand in the mirror and look at your skinny or chubby arms without shame, but love instead?

Or should we just believe everything they tell us about our looks?