We live in a world where beauty is often defined only by physical appearance. Young women are lead to believe that the curves of their body, the angles of their face, the clothing size they wear, says more about them than what’s beneath their skin, on the inside, in their hearts and in their minds.

Publishers, advertising agencies, and clothing and beauty product manufacturers take advantage of this perception, and in fact pour copious amounts of fuel on top of it. In magazines and TV commercials, models appear thinner, their skin seems too perfect, "defects" such as skin imperfections or "baby bumps" magically disappear through the use of computer enhancement. These ads parade "the beautiful people" before girls day after day, essentially telling them that they can’t be beautiful if their waist isn’t smaller than the size of their head, or at least that’s what some say this ad last fall by Ralph Lauren did.

It’s a body image game that is as harmful as it is farcical. Airbrushing advertisements feed the unrealistic idea of what beauty is, especially when young girls are under more pressure than ever before to play the game.

Contrast this dangerous message with the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. Dove, the maker of skincare products, has partnered with several organizations to form a campaign in which young girls can help redefine beauty in their own words. Through the campaign, girls complete a self-esteem program then record and post a 30-second video message about what they’ve learned and what beauty means to them.

Tools in the program range from mood manager quizzes to revealing global studies about genuine opinions about beauty to videos aimed at getting moms involved in helping their girls understand body image. The campaign hopes to reach 5 million young women worldwide by the end of this year.

Consider what some of the nearly 4 million girls and young women who’ve participated thus far have concluded:

• Kristina O.: "Even though my outside appearance is always changing, the inside will always be the same. It’ll stay beautiful."
• Anna M.: "Real beauty is having confidence in yourself no matter who tells you otherwise."
• Brooke L.: "No matter what ads say the image should be: Your image of yourself is the only thing that matters."
• Josie B.: "I used to hide my birthmark on my forehead with my hair, but now I see other girls are not perfect either. … I know it’s beautiful because it’s shaped like a heart."

Those are the kind of self revelations that can help free the next generation of girls from self-limiting beauty stereotypes.

And that’s really the bottom line: Girls have to look inside and realize that who they are is more important than what some marketing campaign says they should look like. You can be the most beautiful woman in the world and still be shallow and empty inside; after all, how many Hollywood celebrities have revealed this in public, again and again?

That’s not to say that girls shouldn’t avoid being healthy. As with all things in life, it’s important to find balance. You can accept who you are but being unhealthy isn’t in your best interest. Everyone, no matter who they are, should strive to eat better, exercise, and take care of themselves, so they have a better chance of leading long, healthy, happy, and productive lives.