by CE News Team: Rachel Falkenstein, 16;
Valencia Bruce, 11; Olga Carmona, 13;
Qian Chen, 11; Habte Demis, 14; Courtney Jones, 13
Children's Express New York Bureau 
Republished with permission

The obsession with models and peer pressure to stay thin can sometimes push a teenager over the edge in search of a perfect body image. A group of young people gathered in the Children's Express New York bureau to discuss how body image affects society and teenagers. Supermodels Cindy Crawford and full-figure model Emme, via fax, answered some of their questions about body image.

CE: In your own words, what is body image?
Valencia Bruce, 11: Body image is the way that you look, carry yourself and the way you appear to anyone else around you.

CE: What suggestions can you give girls who are using your body type as a role model?
Cindy Crawford: Role models should be people like Mother Theresa - not body types. I think people should strive to feel good about their body - not try to be like someone else.

CE: Who do you think determines your body image?
Courtney Jones, 13: I think in some cases society does. Some people worry about their weight and everything because society says you have to be thin.

CE: Why is body image important?
Habte Demis, 14: I think that body image is important because in the work place, it's very important how other people perceive you. A lot of times the first impression is the most long-lasting. Also, in an effort to change, people will starve themselves or become seriously ill.

CE: As you know, many teenagers try to look like models and sometimes end up with eating disorders. What advice would you give these teenagers?
Cindy: I do understand that pictures of models in magazines represent unrealistic standards for most people. Just remember - we don't even look like that. Those pictures are after two hours of hair and make-up, great lighting and then retouching. In terms of weight, yes. Some models are super thin. I myself am not one of them! I work out, try to eat healthy and focus on the positive.
Courtney: Why would you want to starve yourself to please other people?

CE: How is body image different in males and in females?
Courtney: In males, it's not to be thin. They want to be muscular and end up taking steroids and lifting weights to look manlier in order to impress women.
Valencia: Women want to prove to themselves that they can be prettier or they can fit into an outfit that's smaller. And sometimes it's just to impress certain people.

Emme: Did you know that 50 billion dollars is made in the diet industry based on a 98% failure rate?! The fear of fat in our society runs so deep that girls, women and now an ever-increasing male population are not living full and balanced lives due to body dissatisfaction.

CE: What causes a person to have good or bad images of themselves?
Valencia: People around them say things to them that make them get very upset and want to change.

CE: How do you deal with your body images?
Courtney: I have to admit that I am kind of heavy and in my case, I wear clothes that flatter my figure. I exercise and dance and do a lot of sports and things to keep fit. If I lose weight that'd be great but I'm not trying to be super skinny, slender or anything like that because I'm happy with the way I look.
Olga Carmona, 13: I've been on a diet but I've gotten nowhere.

CE: How does body image affect your life, personality and your goals?
Courtney: Body image doesn't affect my personality but it helped in my goal to become a model. I was chosen by an agent to become a full-figured model. Full-figure models are models that wear 12 and up. I wear a size 14 and I'm going to be a model starting next year.

Olga: My image doesn't affect my personality, but I think some of my friends are affected because some of them are really conceited.
Habte: Well, I'm really self-conscious about my feet. I don't wear anything that makes my feet look really big.

CE: What are a few words of advice that you would give to today's model wannabes?

Cindy: My advice for young people who want to be models is to at least finish high school, get a reputable agent, treat it like a job - be on time, etc...and have a backup plan.

Emme: Think of something else to do! Unless you are ready for repeated closed doors, modeling is not what it might seem. Sure, there is some money to be made and the travel is wonderful but it is the most unstable career you can choose besides acting.

Courtney: In my opinion it doesn't matter how you look. It's about how you feel and how you want to look and not what society tells you. I think you should do things the way you want to do them. I also think you shouldn't eat the way other people are telling you to or you shouldn't starve yourself to look a certain way.

Children's Express is a news service produced by kids reporting on issues that matter most to them.