Women might have come along way in society but now we have gone from the image of the “Leave it to Beaver” mom of yesterday’s advertisement icon to the sex object that is the current icon of advertisement. News flash to marketing executives, "physically attractive" and "sexually desirable" does not mean that you must starve yourself to look good. Ninety-eight pounds with ribs sticking out of a dress is not sexy to everyone. Sorry boys, but not all of want to look like Paris Hilton.

Mass media sells women as sex objects. The pressure put on women to look good is sickening. It is a male dominated society and beauty and body image in the media is just more proof of that theory. Beauty is a good thing but the way that media portrays us is unhealthy. They hint that if we don’t look like the women that grace the cover of Vogue and Cosmopolitan then we should change our appearance. How does a woman do that – by purchasing the products that advertisements are selling. Makeup, perfume, and clothing have very little to do with beauty. If you use these products, it is not going to make you look like the woman in the advertisement. What the woman in that advertisement is doing is creating an unhealthy image in young girls minds. Images that often later result to eating disorders. Young girls already insecure about their bodies are now comparing themselves to made-up air brushed models.

What is it with all of Hollywood’s attention on Kelly Osborne and Kristy Alley. What does the paparazzi do, follow these stars around trying to get a glimpse of them at their worst or pigging out on a bacon cheeseburger?

It is a real disappointment when women start judging their own appearance by the media’s standards of beauty. Now is your chance to speak out against media images of women. What are your thoughts?

Most women will face greater financial challenges than their male counterparts. The good news is that women's attitudes about money and investing are starting to change to reflect these glaring economic realities. The even better news is that Canadian women are beginning to recognize that they must work with the financial planning issues that confront them, in order to secure a happy and prosperous future for themselves and their dependents. Women are the masters of their own financial destiny. We can no longer depend on the government, our partner, child (children) to sail our economic ship into a secure and prosperous sunset. Women must achieve financial security and success by being aware of where we are financially, where we want to go and how we can get there.

The following financial test will provide greater clarity as to where your financial feet are planted. Remember that there are no wrong answers to this quiz, only proactive solutions to help you achieve security and prosperity. I welcome you to send me your quiz along with your questions and I will be pleased to meet with you at no cost, no obligation to review where you are now, where you want to be and how we can get you there.