Girls' & Self Image
Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school, and relationships with family members and friends.
75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking or drinking when feeling badly about themselves.
57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks. Research indicates that girls follow the patterns of their mothers. If Mom is self-critical, her daughters learn to be, too.
Only 2% of all women in an international study believe themselves to be beautiful.
A research project commissioned by the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty looked at girls' attitudes about themselves. Check out the site and see what girls are saying. Click the "films" on the site (very brief) and consider sharing the messages with someone you love. I particularly like the one called "Amy."
The Dove Campaign has developed a variety of tools and projects for girls and women to re-imagine what feminine beauty is all about. Find out what the girls you love think about themselves. Find ways to help them know the beauty you see. They don't need to be fixed, they need to find their own beauty and see themselves as you see them.
One more site. There's a new site coming up for parenting teen girls. Check it out. If it's not up yet, it will be soon. Let me know what you think of it.
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