Researchers have found that ongoing exposure to certain ideas can shape and distort our perceptions of reality. How many naked bodies do most of us view on a regular basis in real life - not counting what we see in the media? Very few. But if women or men consume a steady diet of fashion magazines or pornography, they encounter more naked or semi-naked female bodies than they would otherwise - female bodies that just happen to be airbrushed and plastic surgery-enhanced. It?s not surprising that in our media-driven culture, our views of what women should look like are warped. Real women with pubic hair and breasts that aren?t perfect round orbs begin to seem unnatural compared to the altered images we see in the media.

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Our Bodies, Ourselves: A New Edition for a New Era
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