Body image is something that cannot be taken lightly in the modern world, and multiple different things play an important role on this sensitive topic. Everyone is under a microscope. “We need to stop giving other people permission to define who we are and what we are worth” (Kirkwood S125). You're too fat. I'm not good enough God, she's cute. I want to be like that. Simple thoughts like these pass through people's minds like a conveyor belt full of disappointments. In Larry Kirkwood's article “An Artist's Perspective on Body Image, the Media, and Contemporary Society” it is stated that “our culture has become obsessed with image and maintaining appearances, to the point that if the image is right , reality does not seem like matter: the image becomes reality.” It all has to do with conformity, we have to be like everyone else. But isn't America the melting pot? Not everyone has to be the same, we all say out loud that we are different but no one believes it anymore. Everyone feels like they have to blend in. No matter how many people can reassure you about how beautiful you are, no one accepts it. One's thoughts about other people, what people think they should be, and the standard “ideal” person create many different feelings than how one feels about body image. Kirkwood states in his project: “The obsession with the image diverts attention from an individual's actual accomplishments as a human being: as a friend, colleague, lover, wife or husband, mother or father, daughter or son.” There is no doubt that in a busy world it is easy to get distracted and that is acceptable, it happens to everyone, but it is not okay to let that hinder humanity. Kirkwood also brings to our attention that it is a common misconception that many become thin... middle of paper... d in their own perceptions. The reader can see it here: “Social factors are believed to be important in the development of attitudes and perceptions of a woman's body” (710). These factors may be related to the stereotypes people form from loungers, friends, celebrities, and models. These people form high standards that many cannot reach, and then beat themselves up. In a world that is growing and changing as much as the worlds people live in today, it is almost impossible not to be affected by everything around them. . People, companies, cities and everything we know are constantly uphill trying to do everything else. Nobody ever knows when to stop, everyone strives for the best. But in every situation there comes a point where things are blown out of proportion and must find an end. This happens every day in the world of body image.