June 6, 2009 12:07 PM
Help your daughter love her body!
Thanks so much for supporting this site by using my Amazon link!
I browse through what was purchased sometimes - and be assured that I see only what was purchased, not who bought it :) - because I find some interesting things there that we all should know about.
Like this book - which has great reviews and is available for as little as $0.01 (plus shipping). Check it out:
Which reminds me of the Dove commercials I've run here before - you might want to share them with your daughters - and sons too - so they will see how their ideas of beauty are being manipulated. Great discussion material:
Just found this interesting look at the Photoshop Effect:
Back to Dove (preview this one first - it's very graphic):
Posted in Mothering, Teens and Tweens | Permalink
Comments
Thanks so much for these, Barbara. As a female American, who is certainly old enough to process the onslaught of "beauty" messages with rational intelligence and experience, I still feel the pressure. And I experienced this pressure most strongly in the days prior to virually ALL images being altered. So I am VERY concerned for my own two daughters and their growing up in this culture. But I am most concerned for now, their preschool years, when their weekly trip with mom to the grocery includes digitally ehanced bikini-clad female bodies displayed on magazine covers at THEIR EYE LEVEL. And this is not in an aisle we can quickly cruise past, it's in the checkout line, where we're "trapped" for multiple minutes with many, many of these images bombarding their curious and absorbant little eyes. I've tried to find some sort of information or group that would help me speak to my local grocery owners about this issue (politely asking for a magazine-free aisle got no response) but haven't found anything. Do you or any of your readers have any advice?
Posted by: Carla | June 7, 2009 1:08 PM
To Carla,
If you live in an area with a Meijer's or a Kroger, there are self check-out stations that do not have magazines posted everywhere on them. It might be more difficult for you to use with two little ones in tow, but perhaps they could find it fun to help mom with the scanning and bagging?
As for the whole body image thing, one thing that helped me become a more cynical teenager when confronted with the imagery of "perfection" is when my Mom began pointing out that each of those ads was selling something. She then would ask me how I would spend my money, were it not for the beauty adds. By teaching our girls to look at ads not as things that tell them how to be, but as the scams that they are, we can hopefully insulate them against most of the damage they can do. The technique's not perfect though- I have a sister who still struggles with anorexia. Maybe though, by starting earlier (as soon as they can read the ads?) and teaching them to question them, it will become a habit and they can become more resilient against what each "perfect" model implies about their "imperfections"?
Posted by: Sarah | June 8, 2009 9:00 AM
I've already shown my 9 year old daughter the Dove Evolution commercial!
Posted by: Donica | June 8, 2009 3:30 PM
Thanks, I found these so thought provoking. I am going to show them to my 13 year old.
Barbara I would love to hear more of your thoughts on beauty for the followers of Christ. My church friends and christian Mom's group seems so caught up in expensive beauty treatments and makeup. (Everyone seems to use Mary Kay or Beauty Control) I have no problem respecting their right to spend the money and time on earthly beauty. I spend some time and money too but not as much as some in my group of friend seem to think I should.
I was kind of sad when a full session of our Mom's group was spent doing makeovers. It especially left me feeling ugly when I had to be told that my eyebrows should be shaped (never have) and my cleansing ritual was ridiculous (soap and water)and I was ruining my skin by not spending 20 minutes each day (and about $300 in products) rejuvenating it. I don't think that is how Christian women are supposed to build each other up and there I was at 44 feeling very insecure. The distorted images of what is beautiful seems to have filled even the minds of otherwise spiritual women. If I did not know better I would have thought that Beauty = Favor with God. Kind of scary.
Posted by: Joy | June 9, 2009 9:27 AM
