Have you looked in the mirror lately? Chances are you have, and maybe you don’t like what you see. Society is infamous for setting unrealistic standards, which can ultimately lead to undesirable outcomes in people who do not meet certain criteria. Society has crafted the notion that an aesthetically pleasing appearance is correlated with personal contentment. Beauty has transformed in to a sort of mecca, in which a person will find individual fulfillment. Throughout history, the ideals of attractiveness have transformed. In modern day America, there is a rigorous set of guidelines determining physical beauty. And what can we attribute this to? The emphasis we put on food. What is healthy, unhealthy, diet crazes, fitness buffs- the obsession with food and appearance grows larger every day. This paper will explore the pressure and implications that societal norms have placed on people, and how food effects every aspect of our lives. In 2008, a study showed that at least 50% of undergraduate women experience body dissatisfaction (Kovar). Body dissatisfaction can be linked with health issues such as anorexia and other mental health problems, which can affect a person throughout life. With such a high number of unhappy women, a person may ask what the root cause of body dissatisfaction is. According to socio-cultural theory, negative body image emerges as a result of perceived environmental pressure to conform to a culturally defined body and beauty ideal (Thompson). The media as a whole is infamous for its impractical depictions of what men and women should look like. One must have a “perfect body," and this perfect body can only be achieved through drastic measures. Dieting and exercise isn’t enough anymore. College women are not the only victims of negative body image. Adolescent girls are particularly prone to negative body image following exposure to thin ideal media (Henderson, Spettigue). This may be due to the immense physical and psychological developmental changes that characterize adolescence. During adolescence, a primary psychological task faced is that of identity formation, and being socially accepted by one’s peers becomes increasingly important (Lloyd 2002). If your friends eat McDonald’s, you’ll eat McDonald’s, too, otherwise you’ll be considered weird. If your friend is skinny, you’ll want to be skinny, too. For adolescents, gaining autonomy can be an int