It is hard to figure out where the tainted view on body image starts for women but I am sure it is early. I myself have always felt overweight and awkward. I am tall and have big feet so I am quite often the largest girl in the room. I can never remember stepping on the scale when I weighed less then 100 pounds although I am assuming I wasn't born that weight. I was looking at pictures from high school and from my wedding and remembering how heavy I thought I was then. Now I see myself in the pictures and realize how thin I was and how I would kill to be that weight again. I am fully aware that this is how eating disorders begin for young girls and am on a mission to not let that happen to my kids. Having three girls makes it all the more an issue in our house. My 10 year old is already noticing the differences in sizes and shapes of girls in her grade and I know the next few years will be pivotal in making her a healthy person in years to come. I want to instill in all of them that eating healthy and staying active helps to build a foundation for a healthy life. I want them to join sports teams to stay active and be a part of a group of girls all working together to get to a goal. I truly do believe that this helps girls feel confident that their bodies are worth something and needed for something. This comes from a girl that was never on a sports team past rec soccer at 8. I wish I had been I really do but I just never felt I was good enough or thin enough to succeed in something like that. Another thing that I think is huge for young girls is what they hear their moms say at home. If they are constantly hearing their mom saying I look fat, I am on a diet, or that food has too many calories etc etc then that becomes ingrained in their minds and is psychologically damaging. Just as bad is when you monitor your child's diet down to their calorie intake and don't ever let them have treats or make their own choices when ordering in a restaurant. There has to be a balance of healthy and unhealthy and if you start early and have nutritious food in your house and include family dinners and family exercise it really does help to build a great foundation.
I hope that I am doing all I can do so that my girls have an accurate view of their bodies and don't feel like they are looking into a fun house mirror every time they see themselves.
4 comments:
This is such an important issue. I was bulimic for years and still have major issues with my body image. I pray your girls grow into strong, healthy women who don't measure themselves by the number on the scale. It sounds like you are on the right track.
Thank you for sharing that..I didn't know. It is just so hard! I have body image issues as well and don't know a woman out there that doesn't. Just hoping againsy hope my kids don't end up with the same distorted views.
I commend you! Raising three girls in today's society is downright brutal. I believe that it is impossible to raise a daughter who will love her body. I think that Dove is doing a great job with their Campaign for Real Beauty. Unfortunately there are not enough companies on board with such advertising.
What a great post! I agree that it is very hard, especially with girls. You are on the right track with yours!
By the way, I left you an award on my blog! I think your blog is so great!
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