Oh, the media. Many of us hate it, yet we still pay attention to it. Whether you take in all of the in information word for word, or you observe and make your own interpretations, we can all agree that multimedia sources are a weapon. Yes, it's a weapon alright. Both destructive and reinforcing in one. The media reminds me of Shakti, a fickle Indian goddess who attempted to bring good to the world, but for reasons unknown, occasionally demolished the universe.

The media comes in all forms: newspapers, television channels, radio stations, online reporting (whether reliable or not), blogging, magazines, etc. In effect, the media has a 95% chance of getting the attention of its subject. (I made that statistic up. Rough estimation.) There are those who can spot a lie like the broad side of a barn. Others, not so much. So some of the more malign media sources enjoy (or rely on) preying on its naive victims, deceiving these ignorant fellows. This is why the innocent followers of ambiguous media need the more aware persons around them, to set them straight.

You see it all of the time with politics. Come campaign time, especially in the presidential race, you see the media crushing the candidates. Commercials are filled with "statistics". I normally just block these out. I don't always trust those commercials. Of course, rival channels like Fox News and CNN tend to add personal opinion to their reports. It's their stations, their businesses, so I don't have a problem with it. If I had my own talk show, television channel, or radio station, well of course it's going to be biased! I'm not going to pretend that my writings hold no tendencies to one side. It does. But at least I'm honest.

Serious waves from the media affect the population across the board in all subjects. It's unfortunate the way media is so easily able to influence people, especially the world's youth. There is a presumption that if you aren't thin, you aren't attractive. It's unsettling to see the crazy diets and rigorous exercise plans that turn teenagers (particularly females) on a mad rampage to change their appearance. You have to have the hairstyle. The clothes, the shoes. And if your skin is not one hundred percent clear, well, then you're out of luck. It's a race to keep up with what is "accepted" in today's society.

This is one reason why I hope this book is published. I'm not thin. I am actually quite curvy. I only have controlled hair some days of the week. (On its bad days, my hair frizzes out like a lion's mane.) My skin is not totally clear. I have simple shoes. Basic sneakers and cleats, flip flops for the summer (I usually run barefoot though), flats (I wear these only occasionally), and I own a pair of both Uggs and Fuggs. My fashion is pretty basic, too. Though I sometimes visualize myself on the red carpet with gorgeous gowns and cocktail dresses, I don't need them now. I don't feel the pressure to go out and buy everything that's "in". Then I wouldn't be me, right?

I'm not saying tht I am never affected by this sort of media. I'm a teenage girl, I'm going to be. On my good days, I say screw it. On my bad days, I might get jealous of a star's body and drop to the floor and do some sit ups. Then my real personality kicks in, and I say, "Screw it." This isn't to say that I discourage being healthy, or that I'm just lazy. I'm an athlete, I play sports. But I love food. I'm Italian and Irish (this gives me an excuse). So of course, being healthy is the ultimate goal to improve life expectancy and quality of life. But that's not the only thing I focus on in life.

I wish other teenagers around the world can read and relate to this, so they can feel comfortable in their own skin.

Though the media impinges on these main topics significantly, it also touches on almost every topic of conversation you can think of. In conclusion, we must learn to put the right people behind media, and turn the destructive deceiver into a trusted weapon to bring the citizens of America together.