Instilling Self-Esteem in Our Daughters
When I was growing up things were difficult enough for young women when it came to self-esteem. We were in a time when models went from being curvy, to Twiggy changing the modeling industry forever. How could anyone compare to her waiflike figure and big soulful eyes?
Today, between the fashion industry, Hollywood, and the music industry, it has become even more difficult for young women to feel good about themselves. As parents it is a struggle to make them understand that all of those images are not reality. In real life you cannot air brush away any imperfections, nor can you (or should you) have surgical procedures to improve any perceived flaws.
We need to teach our daughters to focus on how unique and special each of them are, and what skills they have that will help them become successful at reaching their goals in life. Who they are as a person, and what they have to offer to improve their communities, should be what they are recognized for; not their physical “beauty”.
Fortunately there are many individuals and businesses in the world who are working to change the attitude of society regarding the image of women. Women today are running successful businesses and mentoring those that will follow in their footsteps, and many young girls are contributing in some way to improve the world.
As I prepared to write this blog, I did some research to see who was making a difference in how young women look at themselves, and who these young women should be looking up to. I was impressed by what I found, and want to share a few of these sites with you:
The Dove Self-Esteem Project - https://www.dove.com/us/en/dove-self-esteem-project.html
Dove believes no young person should be held back from reaching their full potential. For more than 15 years, they have been helping parents, mentors, teachers, and youth leaders deliver self-esteem education that’s reached more than 60 million young people so far. By 2030, they are aiming to have helped ¼ billion build their positive body image.
Rebel Girls - https://www.rebelgirls.com/
Rebel Girls know the world will be better, stronger and more just when girls have the same level of confidence as boys. They offer books with stories of incredible women to show them the possibilities, and inspire them to dream without limits. The website also has a podcast and free activities for girls.
Step Up (Inspiring Women to Inspire Girls) - http://www.suwn.org/
Step Up inspires professional women to inspire teen girls through after-school and weekend mentorship programs. 100% of Step Up girls have access to multiple professional women.
Already Pretty - https://www.instagram.com/alreadyprettyblog/?utm_source=ig_embed
Already Pretty is a website dedicated to celebrating the beauty you already have and talking honestly about body image.
Adios Barbie - https://adiosbarbie.com/?s=fashion
Adios Barbie is a body image website for everybody that takes the conversations around bodies further by examining the intersections of race, gender, ability, class, and sexuality that go into our body image identities.
And last, but not least, please share this article with your daughters from 2016 by the Huffington Post that portrays the next generation of inspiring women. These young women are wonderful role models for our daughters. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meet-the-next-generation-of-inspiring-women_n_56fd5170e4b0a06d5805106d
We all have a responsibility to ensure our daughters grow into incredible young women who are confident, successful, and secure with who they are. Let's make sure we give them the tools necessary to accomplish this.
Today, between the fashion industry, Hollywood, and the music industry, it has become even more difficult for young women to feel good about themselves. As parents it is a struggle to make them understand that all of those images are not reality. In real life you cannot air brush away any imperfections, nor can you (or should you) have surgical procedures to improve any perceived flaws.
We need to teach our daughters to focus on how unique and special each of them are, and what skills they have that will help them become successful at reaching their goals in life. Who they are as a person, and what they have to offer to improve their communities, should be what they are recognized for; not their physical “beauty”.
Fortunately there are many individuals and businesses in the world who are working to change the attitude of society regarding the image of women. Women today are running successful businesses and mentoring those that will follow in their footsteps, and many young girls are contributing in some way to improve the world.
As I prepared to write this blog, I did some research to see who was making a difference in how young women look at themselves, and who these young women should be looking up to. I was impressed by what I found, and want to share a few of these sites with you:
The Dove Self-Esteem Project - https://www.dove.com/us/en/dove-self-esteem-project.html
Dove believes no young person should be held back from reaching their full potential. For more than 15 years, they have been helping parents, mentors, teachers, and youth leaders deliver self-esteem education that’s reached more than 60 million young people so far. By 2030, they are aiming to have helped ¼ billion build their positive body image.
Rebel Girls - https://www.rebelgirls.com/
Rebel Girls know the world will be better, stronger and more just when girls have the same level of confidence as boys. They offer books with stories of incredible women to show them the possibilities, and inspire them to dream without limits. The website also has a podcast and free activities for girls.
Step Up (Inspiring Women to Inspire Girls) - http://www.suwn.org/
Step Up inspires professional women to inspire teen girls through after-school and weekend mentorship programs. 100% of Step Up girls have access to multiple professional women.
Already Pretty - https://www.instagram.com/alreadyprettyblog/?utm_source=ig_embed
Already Pretty is a website dedicated to celebrating the beauty you already have and talking honestly about body image.
Adios Barbie - https://adiosbarbie.com/?s=fashion
Adios Barbie is a body image website for everybody that takes the conversations around bodies further by examining the intersections of race, gender, ability, class, and sexuality that go into our body image identities.
And last, but not least, please share this article with your daughters from 2016 by the Huffington Post that portrays the next generation of inspiring women. These young women are wonderful role models for our daughters. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meet-the-next-generation-of-inspiring-women_n_56fd5170e4b0a06d5805106d
We all have a responsibility to ensure our daughters grow into incredible young women who are confident, successful, and secure with who they are. Let's make sure we give them the tools necessary to accomplish this.
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