I have this brutal addiction. I love seeing what actresses are wearing in TV shows. I love seeing how stylists create their outfits and utilize current fashion trends.

But I sometimes wonder if I'm constantly comparing myself to girls and women who have been airbrushed and professionally made up and dressed.

I understand this is something that is constantly debated in society, but do you really ever stop and think about it? Are people today being influenced by media to such an extent that it's "brainwashing" us?

Everyone has an opinion on this issue but if we simply look at some facts and examples we'll see that this is far too true. The example I'm going to use is Bratz Dolls. These dolls are scantily dressed with far too much makeup on their faces, and clothes in their little doll closets that scream "high maintenance."

Bratz dolls are bright and colourfully dressed girls who love to shop, do their hair and makeup and essentially be the "hottest" dolls in the toy box. When children are in their developing stages, ages four to 11, and old enough to play with such toys, these dolls leave a lasting impression on them. Their brains, like sponges, soak up an image of what society has deemed acceptable. And if it so happens to be that Bratz dolls are what they've grown up with since youth then they may hold themselves to such a standard.

Of course there is the argument about how our generation grew up with Barbie and yet we don't compare ourselves to her. However, to fully analyze this comparison, Barbie needs an equally harsh judging.

Barbie's appearance is so far from realistic that it's almost painful. Her dresses were short pink and flirty, and her legs were far too long. However, the extras that could be purchased for Barbie weren't exceedingly superficial. Barbie could be a nurse and help others, she could be a veterinarian and tend to wounded animals or she could pursue a career as an animal trainer. There was an idea surrounding Barbie, an idea that created her identity. Barbie was a strong female who could choose her own path in life, even her name is commonly used, Barbie is a short form for Barbara. If we take a deeper look at Bratz and define the word using the New Oxford American Dictionary, it means: badly behaved child, spoiled, rascal. This in itself is the foundation of the toy's character, and associating such a word something a child plays with immediately gives it a terrible image.

You may be asking yourself how this has anything to do with fashion but let me remind you that the way women learn portray themselves begins at a young age. Many young women can shake this impression as they grow up; however, there's already an idea imprinted in society that keeps women stuck in such limiting stereotypes. Therefore, it affects them as they grow up and follows them into their youth. I think it's time we change this inescapable image and help the women of tomorrow.

As Jean Piaget once said, "The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done." So let's take a minute and think about what we're teaching ourselves and what we're teaching the young women of the world.