| Summary: | Filmmaker Darryl Roberts goes on a five-year journey to examine America's growing obsession with physical beauty and perfection, unearthing its origins and deadly risks. In America the Beautiful we see how increasingly unattainable images contribute to the rise in low self-esteem, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders for young women and girls who also happen to be the beauty industry's largest consumers. In almost 40,000 media messages a year, youthful Americans are being told that, unless you look like supermodels and rock stars, you're not good enough for anyone to love. In 2004 alone, Americans spent 12.4 billion dollars on cosmetic surgery. America the Beautiful explores why Americans are spending so much money to cover up their discontent. Ultimately, the film asks: What are the true costs of our obsession with youth, beauty, and a slender physique? Who actually benefits from this high-priced journey towards this ideal and does it justify a nation's psychosis?
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