Skinny wasn't the greatest thing to people, and it wasn't as big of a deal as it is now. So where did the ideals change from being beautiful with curves to being beautiful as skin and bone? In the 1960s, popular figures like Twiggy promoted being thin as beautiful, around the same time the Barbie doll became popular among girls (Bahadur). Of course, many people are born thin. But some are born tough and can't help being that way – and they shouldn't worry about that. However, we as a society have changed these ideals because we are constantly exposed to and accepted by the media's rendering of what it is to be beautiful. The fact that being bigger meant someone was rich simply shows that our culture has completely abandoned this principle. But, as terrible as the problem may be, there are solutions to this terrible problem that is still on the rise and will hopefully get better. Instead of letting these vulnerable people look at magazine covers and wish they had different skin, our duty as a society is to promote the adoption of beauty and self-confidence in everyone. Motivational speakers, many of whom have had their share of self-esteem issues in the past, need to be brought to the surface and get their messages out in the open even more than they already are. Jessica