Over the years, the connotative definition of beauty has undergone continuous changes. In today's world, young women are constantly under the impression that they have to fit into the current definition in order to fit into society and be recognized by men. Many girls feel like they have to fit the mold instead of being their true, unique self. Every individual is different in their own way, however the media has instilled in every girl's mind that they really have a Barbie doll to be happy. Furthermore, these same girls resort to extreme methods to feel comfortable, such as taking unhealthy diet pills and developing eating disorders. Advertising has caused more harm than good in this particular situation by forcing girls to feel like they can't be themselves. Fashion trends have also contributed to this decline in female individualism. Teenage girls feel the need to conform to the current fashion trend, no matter how expensive, just so they can feel like everyone else. As Andrew Delbanco explains in his work, The Real American Dream, consumer culture has the power to “evacuate the self” (105). This is exactly what is happening in today's world due to the influence of the media. Young women idolize media images and try to imitate them. This in turn is causing a negative effect on individualism. Young women should grow up wanting to be themselves as individuals. Girls shouldn't grow up with the mindset of wanting to be just like the models in magazines and TV commercials. Kristin Noelle Weissman discusses the effects of mass media in her book Barbie: The Icon, the Image, the Ideal. Weissman explains,Wood 2“The mass media –as the main and......center of the paper......y.Women all over the world are influenced by the media. Even the slightest flash of a tall, skinny girl in a TV commercial can have an influence on a girl who just wanted to watch cartoons. From an early age, icons like Barbie impress on children's minds that beauty and thinness bring with them popularity and happiness. But what happens when the media's image-perfect goals are out of reach? This can cause negative effects on young women and has been so for several years. Women all over the world are stuck in the idea that they have to look like Barbie or magazine models and celebrities, which sometimes leads to harmful methods like eating disorders. These women eventually develop a loss of their individuality and remain unhappy and disappointed. The cookie-cutter idea is taking over society and the media is to blame.