Ideal Woman In magazines stuffed with models and advertisements, billboards on the highway, and actresses on television, the message of what women should look like is everywhere. Advertising is a powerful force in our culture due to the exposure. The decided presence of these images in effect shapes the image of women today. It is very unfortunate that the media influences American society to the point that it defines the "ideal woman". The "ideal woman" is defined as someone that is thin, young, and beautiful. Today it seems as if being thin is the only way to go. There is a wealth of businesses that depend upon the American desire to be thin to survive