Jesse Sahani: The Ugly Truth About Beauty

Name: Jesse Sahani, Class of 2011 graduate

Senior Mastery Project: Sahani produced a short documentary about the media's negative impact on women's body image. After interviewing 15 female Avon High School students, she found "the general consensus was they felt pressured to look a certain way and...felt really bad that they couldn’t actually look that way." Only one of the 15 students was happy with their body.

Why she selected the topic: During her freshman and sophomore years, Sahani felt pressured to look a certain way, but as her confidence grew and attitude changed, she was able to "reach a point of self-acceptance." As a result of her experience, she wants to help raise awareness and "show how ridiculous it is for people to buy into what the media portrays as beautiful."

A Disturbing Fact: Anorexia and other eating disorders are the leading cause of death for females ages 5 to 19. 

Change is on the Way: Several organizations like Dove, Nike and Glamour Magazine are making an effort to redefine beauty by featuring women of varying shapes and sizes in their advertisements.

About Jesse: While attending Avon High School, she was involved with Peer Support, Writing Workshop, Model UN, Gay/Straight Alliance, Connecticut YOUTH Forum and Yearbook.

College Bound: She will attend the University of Connecticut this fall and plans to major in pre-med biology. She hopes to become involved with UConn's radio station and women's magazine to continue raising awareness about women's body image issues.

Editor's Note: Hey, Avon Class of 2011 graduating seniors! Do you want your senior master project featured on Avon Patch? E-mail the information to Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com, along with a photo of you and your project. Parents, you can submit on behalf of your children as well. We will be spotlighting one senior mastery project a day, Mondays through Fridays, throughout the entire summer.