Author's Note

          Yes even during childhood, children are taught by society that what you look like matters. In my story, "We are all beautiful", Mina is only seven years old and feels pressured to fit in. She shows up at school one day with loads of make-up on, and a party dress, thinking she would impress everyone. Later though, she learned that she is beautiful and so is everyone else.
          Anorexia is a growing social issue, thousands are affected by it. Thin people are often portrayed as amazing, successful, and beautiful people. Take Barbie for example. Barbie is a a very un-proprtioned doll that leans torward the belief that, being thin, being object-oriented, and and being pretty simply equals happiness. Basically, that is the message that Barbie sends out to children, and also teens. Media in general, influences children. Every where you go, you find magazines filled with models that look absolutley gorgeous. These images, catch the eyes of children. Those models all look so, "perfect". When children see that, they feel that they also have to be perfect.  Lamb, a psychology professor at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vt. says,"Girls are being taught very young that thin and sexy is the way they want to be when they grow up, so they'd better start working on that now,"
          My story is realistic fiction, but it's also based on real life issues, and a child's point of view torwards that issure. I feel that my story grew out of what I see everyday. In the end, Mina is a great role model for the children who read this book. Mina confronts the girls who tease her, and lets them know that everyone is beautiful.

Sources: http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S44-4241-0-1602&artno=0000252708&type=ART

http://www.something-fishy.org/cultural/themedia.php