Are you the Perfect Woman for the new century?

The perfect woman is thin. The following statistics bear this out:

· Magazines for women 18-24 contain 10.5 times more diet information then for males.

· All of these advertisements stated that weight loss would improve appearance.

· 74% reported that they lose weight to be more attractive.

· 1 out of 3.8 commercials sends messages of what is and what is not attractive.

· On average a child will see 5,260 of these commercials.

· 42% of 6-8 year old girls want to be thinner.

· 81% of kids 10 years old are afraid of being fat.

· 51% of girls 9-10 feel better when they are on diets.

· 25% of men and 45% of women are on a diet every day.

· We spend an average of $40 billion on dieting and diet products.

Perfect women must be beautiful. A report issued by the YWCA offered the following:

* Eighty percent of women say they're unhappy with their appearance, and 67% of women ages 25 to 45 are trying to shed pounds -- though 53% of those women are already at a healthy weight. The report also cited a study in which 69% of the respondents (18 and older) said they were in favor of plastic surgery -- a 7% increase from 2006.

Check out the full story from the L.A. Times...

In a poll asking what kind of role models would you choose for your children, the results of over eight thousand votes were:

22% Joan of Arc types (courageous visionary).

22% Florence Nightingale types (models of compassion and faith).

22% Helen Keller types (overcoming adversity).

20% Marie Curie types (scientists and innovators).

14% Kin and family members.

Based on the facts stated so far, the ideal woman is thin, beautiful and heroic. By the data indicated she may also be blind and have a fairly short life. Now lets see, doesn't the perfect woman also need to be a flawless parent, with stunningly well adjusted children?

The following pages explore the expectations women have developed for themselves in today's media culture and the way it affects our relationships, our health, our jobs and our kids.