The thin ideal is the concept of the ideally slim female body. The common perception of this ideal is a woman who possesses a slender, feminine physique with a small waist and little body fat. The size that the thin ideal woman should be is decreasing while the rate of female obesity is simultaneously increasing, making this iconic body difficult for women to maintain. This creates a gap between the actual appearance of an average woman’s body and its expected appearance which, depending on the extent to which a woman internalizes the necessity of living up to this ideal for her well-being and peace of mind, may have serious psychological effects. Internalization The degree to which women are psychologically affected by the thin ideal depends to what extent the ideal is internalized. An article from a journal written by Ahern, et al. highlights these ideals. Women generally relate the ideally thin body to positive life outcomes such as happiness, confidence, and romantic success, and consequently a majority of women value the thin ideal to some extent. However, it is important to recognize the distinction between women who are aware of the advantage of thinness versus those who internalize the ideal and make it a personal belief system. Although the idea of the thin ideal seems omnipresent, not all women identify with the ideal in the same manner and not all are affected by it negatively. For example, after seeing an image of a thin woman in the media, some women may fantasize themselves as thinner and more attractive. To some, this exposure to the thin ideal may make thinness seem more attainable and act as a motivational factor in self-improvement. Studies Many studies have been performed regarding the effect of the thin ideal. Some of these indicate that after women are shown images of ultra-thin models, they experience psychological and behavioral features associated with eating disorders, such as increased anger, depressed mood, body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem. The images had an immediate negative effect on the mood of the participating women. In a study conducted by Halliwell and Dittmar (2004), of 202 UK women, they found that those exposed to thin models created greater body-image anxiety in women who internalised the thin ideal compared to those who were exposed to average-sized models. Another study demonstrated that positive associations women made with underweight models frequently led to weight-focused anxiety and an