Why are girls so hung up on not being happy with the body that they have? Why don't they embrace this amazing machine that has been specially designed for each and every one of us? Why do girls aspire to being paper dolls - cut out images with zero individuality? Imagine if we all had the body of Paris Hilton or the typical androgenous model physique. Think about it boos - BORING!

We are here to say embrace your body, celebrate its every individual curve, bump, freckle - every aspect that makes your body your own.

A recent poll conducted by bellaboobabe.com showed that the majority of you guys think you are overweight. According to the Eating Disorders Foundation, anorexia is not on the decline as media reports may suggest. In fact, anorexia affects 7% of the population - that's around 1.4 million! If anything the focus on the obesity epidemic is making the whole issue of weight and body image hit girls sooner, with girls as young as 8 starting to surface with anorexia! This is so wrong.

So what feeds this obsession with thin is in? Well, we don't want to lay the blame squarely at the feet of the media, as after all we are part of the media, but there is no doubting that the media has a lot to answer for. One minute they are showing photos of Mischa declaring she's anorexic and the next she's on the front cover with damning headlines about her cellulite. Seriously, how healthy is this?

Here's the deal with the media we think. They are totally lacking in imagination. They constantly spin a one dimensional image of beauty - skinny girls, buffed guys - BORING. Give us individuality, give us variety - that's real beauty. So why do they do this? To sell mags, silly!

Advertisers want to sell products and they believe their products (clothes/music/beauty) look better on a size 6 than a healthy size 12. We look at these images and are tricked into thinking we would look better in that dress or be cooler if we were that size or had that look. Now you need to ask the question- is Nicole who has been in rehab countless times happier or better off than you? Is a model who starves herself to fit the ideal that advertisers and media demand happier than you?

So, are you going to buy into this false beauty or are you going to take a stand?

We intend to take a stand and ask you to do the same. First up at Bellaboo - no models that look under-nourished will ever grace our pages. We do use real girls with real bodies - not necessarily models for our fashion shoots. We, as an advertiser, will never promote one dimensional beauty.

Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colours and varieties so here's how you can Get Real about your own beauty and encourage others to do the same.

Click to read our Body Image Fact Sheet >>

• Stand in front of the mirror in your knickers and look at your body with love. Identify what you love about your body rather than focusing on the bits you don't - 'cos let's face it we all have something we don't like! So, if your tummy is really flat and you like that, focus on that feeling. If you love the freckles on your nose, focus on that each time you look in the mirror. If you love the shape of your bum, embrace it!
• Get away from focusing and obsessing about the bits you don't like and learn to embrace all those bits that are cool about you.
• Tell others - your friends, girls at school, about the bits about them that are really cool. Try telling others that you love their eyes, that they have amazing hair or whatevz. See the difference in how they see themselves and how good it makes you feel to help someone love their unique attributes.
• Learn to see beyond what the media dishes up as beauty and learn to identify that beauty is diversity.
• Don't weigh yourself - what you weigh is totally irrelevant, it's how you feel that counts. If you feel that you've not been treating your body well - eating junk constantly, not exercising - then you can do something about it by eating healthier and getting active. You will notice the difference by having more energy, feeling less moody and just feeling like you are doing good things for you.
• Who cares about size - there is no ideal size. Every one is a different size and shape and that's cool. You are your size so embrace it and work with it.
• Focus instead on loving your shape and working it baby. Experiment with clothing and looks that will enhance your bod!
• Remember that some girls are naturally skinny and that's cool too - don't label them as ana's or make them feel bad if they are skinny.
• Do not diet. Depriving yourself of food is only going to make you moody and unhappy. Dieting also acts to slow down your metabolism so in the long term will have the opposite effect by making it harder and harder for you to maintain your ideal weight.
• Focus instead on healthy eating. It's not rocket science - fruit, vegies, grains, fish, meat, pastas vs fried, fatty foods. That doesn't mean banishing those yummy junk treats but make them treats, not your daily diet. Eating healthy is not about losing weight it's about doing good things for your body that will impact on your health, your skin, your moods.
• Understand that the media are magicians - that cover shoot or fashion shoot involves a lot of magic - it is an illusion. See our low down on just what goes on in your typical photoshoot for those pics that grace your fave mags (provide link here to this fact sheet).
• Challenge yourself by challenging what you see in the media - look closely at ads, music videos and movies - what are they really saying to you?
• Don't let the media dictate how you see yourself or life - determine your own sense of identity and coolness.