Victoria's Secret fashion show

Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

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GIVE YOURSELF A REALITY CHECK
Unless you live off the grid (and if you're reading this, you probably don't), you're bombarded with media images of willowy, poreless women (case in point: the above). It's human nature to compare yourself with these images—but if you're not a supermodel, you'll come up short. Until such pictures are stamped with warning labels (an idea British and French lawmakers have proposed), when you catch yourself in the act of comparing, remember that these pictures are incredibly unrealistic—engineered by teams of lighting experts, makeup artists, and a tricky little computer application called Photoshop. They're created to make you feel insecure and encourage you to open your wallet. "Studies of teens have shown that increased media savvy does reduce comparisons and negativity about appearance," says Kerry O'Brien, PhD, a psychology lecturer at the University of Manchester.