It is difficult to imagine a world where idealized representations of women do not exist. However, before the creation of media, our ideas of beauty were limited to our own communities in which we live. When photography was introduced in 1839, actual images of faces and bodies were not exposed to society. The likelihood of someone owning a mirror in those days was very rare. Today, however, one is considered strange if one does not own a mirror. Today we look for any excuse to look in the mirror because we have become more obsessed with our appearance than ever before. Given society's standards, it's completely natural to worry about appearance, but many people take these concerns too far. According to Jane Kilborne, “Each period of history has had its own standards of what is beautiful and what is not, and each contemporary society has its own conception of ideal physical attributes. » In the 19th century, being beautiful meant wearing a corset. – causing respiratory and digestive problems. (Kilborne 2002) Although we resemble our ancestors and other cultures in our concern with appearance, our concern is much greater. As technology advances rapidly, it is easy to be exposed to the standards set by the media. What was once a normal concern has become an obsession. Women are continually bombarded with images of the “ideal” face and figure. Researchers suggest that "constant exposure to idealized images of female beauty on television, in magazines, and on billboards creates the impression that exceptional beauty is normal and that anything less not perfect looks abnormal and ugly. » (Beauty 2009) "It is estimated that young women now see more images of stunningly beautiful women in a day than our word...... middle of paper ......d Dismemberment of women in the media » Capital University: Undergraduate Research Journal for Social Science Volume 1. Retrieved March 29, 2011 from http://www.kon.org/urc/v5/greening.html Heubeck, Elizabeth. (2006). “Helping young girls with their body image.” Retrieved April 9, 2011, from www.webmd.com/parenting/features/helping-girls-with-body-image?print=trueKilbourne, J. (2002). “The beauty and the beast of advertising”. Retrieved March 29, 2011 from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article40.html. Mintz, Laurie. (2007). “Media has a powerful effect on body image satisfaction.” Retrieved April 11, 2011 from http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/news/20070228020255_health_news.shtmlRoberts, S. and Fredrickson, B. (1998). “Objectification theory: toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks.” » Psychology of women quarterly, 21, 173-206.