If you don’t believe me, just turn on the T.V. and flip through the channels. What do you do see? Girls scary skinny; size five and under, some are even size zeros. Or, you might see a thicker girl but the thickness is all in her butt and her stomach is ridiculously thin.  Turn to a few more channels and you’ll see yet another thin girl, this time with boobs so big they are filling up the screen.

With all these women that society continues to obsess over on the T.V., Internet and social media, it’s no wonder that women kill themselves trying to look like them. Women will jump on the media’s bandwagon to try to look like these unrealistic celebrities. They will starve and drink only lemonade for 14 days straight just because Beyonce supposedly does it before she gets on stage. They will do crazy leg workouts and order buckets of cranberries and almonds just because they heard Nicki Minaj does it and they want a frame just like hers. They will order People magazine and obsessively follow every move of Snooki’s to figure out how she lost 42 pounds after having a baby.

It goes way beyond weight. Since the media has celebrated catty women that get together and talk about each other and even fight each other, young girls think it’s okay. Since the media continues to air numerous music videos that feature girls bending over, shaking their butts, wearing shorts shorter then their vaginas, young girls flock to parties and events and wear the same sorts of things, thinking that this is what’s popular and what will get a man to like you.

The media has also celebrated screwing your way to the top. Just look at Kim Kardashain, who is a fine example of what opening your legs to the right person can do for you. She’s been on T.V. for nearly a decade and yet people just conveniently forget about what she did to get there. Seriously, our society needs to do better.

But it all starts with one girl. She must love herself unconditionally and adore her body, no matter what size it is. She must understand that even though culture thinks barely any clothes is okay, she must find her body valuable enough to keep it covered. She has to love herself to know that a man will love her for who she is, not because of how big her butt is or how small her waistline is. It all starts with her.

Women must learn to be confident in their own skin and they must try not to believe in these unrealistic physical fantasies. Let your drive and passion lead you to your dreams, not your body and what you can do with it. Love who you are from the inside out. If you are concerned about your weight, lose weight to be healthy and not to hopefully fit into clothes at a size 5, 7 or 9. Don’t kill yourself to try to be something your not, just love who you are. Remember that each person is created on this earth for a special purpose and in a special way. Don’t take it in vain. Learn to live with your faults because we all have them. Just enjoy life and enjoy who you are, because some people can’t and will never be able to. Enjoy the fact that you can dance around, look into the stars and live every single day. Simple because other people can’t. It all starts with you. So screw the media and love who you are regardless of what other people say.

Just two years ago, a racial issue took place between the Black Student Union and Western police, and the Griffon News covered it all. Members of the BSU felt as though students of color were being targeted after numerous students were arrested on campus and during public university events. In retaliation, former BSU president Leah Hayes started a petition requesting that campus police undergo diversity training. Though she was supported by Esther Peralez, former vice president of student affairs, the petition was ultimately denied. The reason stated was that the officers already go through training that included education of diversity. Although the issue was never formerly brought up again, a solution never came. Many minorities were fed up. However, there has been quite a change.

Western police department hired two police officers that are minorities. Beyond hiring these two officers, more African-American faculty were added to Western’s staff such as Student Life Director Isaiah Collier and Career Services Director Donnell Turner. There has also been an increase in foreign students and more and more ­­minorities are becoming student leaders and prospective figures such as student Senators D’Gimy Candio and Monterio Seewood, Center for Multicultural Education Leah Hayes and Keisha Caldwell as well as Western Playhouse actor Jeff Jones, Student Cinema Equipment Tech Carlos Gomez and Student Web Programmer Aliaksei (Alex) Yakimkou from Western’s Instructional Media Center. And for this, I’m extremely proud.

It’s very important that our university is represented by members of various racial backgrounds. As more and more students continue to call Western home, it’s vital for our face to be one that continually changes with more ethnic backgrounds in our forefront. As an African American student leader, I take pride in Western’s huge effort to make the campus diverse. I do not believe other schools are following these guidelines and making these changes, which makes me feel even stronger in my school.

Western even took the diversity effort a step further on Aug. 22 when Western held a Student of Color Orientation. This program was a “welcome” event and focused on skills, student success and retention. As this program was presented during the Board of Governor’s meeting late August, more programs and events like this will continue throughout the year.

So, what am I saying exactly? Frankly I admire Western for what they have done in these last couple years. Not only is the campus acting proactively in hiring more people with diverse racial backgrounds and cultures, but Western is seeing the importance of diversity, so that no student will ever feel racially threatened again.

Bravo, Western! I applaud you. And when I walk down that long aisle on graduation day this May, I will have even more confidence in myself and my school knowing that my school wants us all to win — no matter what color or creed. So fight on Griffons, we will all win one day, what a true victory Missouri Western State.