Throughout my career, I've had one foot planted in the Heartland, working with women and girls across America to strengthen their self-confidence, and I've had one foot in Hollywood, working with media executives to develop more empowering, honest stories that truly speak to the girls I've come to know. No matter where I travel or whom I speak with, the core issue we end up addressing is always the same: today's young woman is feeling more conflicted and concerned about her image and value than ever before.
Here's a sobering fact: when girls feel bad about their looks, 70 percent disconnect from life, avoiding normal activities like attending school or even giving their opinion. Sure, we all have bad days and moments when we want to pull the blanket over our heads, but when an entire generation of future leaders, thinkers and mothers disconnects from life because they are unhappy with their appearance, the possible repercussions on our society are profound.
Here's some good news: Girls of all ages overwhelmingly report that they still value their mothers over celebrities and supermodels as their number-one source of inspiration. Moms and mentors across America, here's my invitation to you: Own that special relationship with the young girl in your life and start taking simple actions to build her self-esteem.
Everyone has an opportunity to make a difference in a girl's self-esteem, and we should all commit ourselves to helping girls build a positive relationship with beauty so that they can reach their full potential.
You don't have to have all the right words. You don't even have to pretend to know the lyrics to her favorite song -- but know that when you choose to spend time with your daughter, she notices. When you choose to talk to her about the real issues in her life, and when you make yourself available to listen to her, she will open up to you. When you engage her mind and allow her to teach you about her world, she will feel more connected to you. That relationship and that trust, built over time, will give America's young girls the confidence and resilience they need to do amazing things as adults.
I hope everyone will take the time this weekend to start making girls feel better about themselves and their place in the world.
This weekend marks the first-ever Dove Self-Esteem Weekend, the largest effort to date in support of girls' self-esteem. From Oct. 22 through Oct. 24, parents and educators, along with national and grassroots organizations nationwide, will be hosting self-esteem events in their communities to inspire young girls. It's a bold new vision for Dove as it sets out to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. As we shed light on some of the most pressing issues facing girls' self-esteem, it's important to provide tools and resources to help concerned adults navigate this broad topic. You can find information on local events as well as free tool-kits with conversation-starters and activity recommendations to host your own self-esteem event at www.dovemovement.com.
Jess Weiner is a Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador and author of "A Very Hungry Girl" and "Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now." Learn more at www.jessweiner.com.
How to Raise Girls with Healthy Self-Esteem | AboutOurKids.org
YouTube - a Dove film - Girl's self-esteem
Self-Esteem and Girls | Information Center | Education.com
Girls who naturally find self-approval from within, rather than seeking it mostly from the outside, are less influenced by peer pressure. Transcendental Meditation is a valuable tool for a girl to use as she matures, better preparing her to meet the stresses and challenges of adulthood. It goes hand in hand with the nourishing attention she needs from her mother and other caring adults in her life. Thank you for your insightful advise.
http://www.returntoworkmom.com/
The key to building resiliency isn't self esteem but self knowledge, for how can you hold esteem for someone or something you don't know? And the path to self knowledge lies in many of the things outlined here, including having a committed, loving adult whom the child respects be an unconditional source of support and acceptance which they demonstrate by making themselves available to walk a mile in those converses. As adults, our loving attention has the most impact when a young person is struggling, not when giving praise for a task the child did poorly (and knows it) or mastered such a long time ago such acknowledgement is meaningless.
Sadly I feel like men are way ahead of women in this regards. One could argue that it is the fault of men to begin this that many women have these issues, and there is some validity in this argument. I however feel playing the blame game is asinine. And the best change from oneself and positive influence/leading by example - not blame and censorship.
I am at the point where sugar makes me physically ill with cold like symptoms. I had no sugar for a week and then last night ate a piece of cake. This morning I am totally congested, blowing my nose and have foggy thinking.
I am trying to beat this thing with diet changes and supplements. Last night showed I am not doing enough. I need to increase my supplements of good bacteria [acidophillus and bifidus], fiber and anti yeast supplements like oil of oregano and cinnamon.
I work with a somatic coach who seeks to match women's confidence with their competence. She finds with all of her clients that this is the biggest challenge women are facing. The doors are open to us, we can go and do anything but even though we are smart enough we still don't feel confident. We all have stories around why we can't or shouldn't be powerful, some are cultural, some historical many of mine were taught to me by my mother. Until all of those stories are unraveled and our attention brought to how they live in our bodies, we will continue to diminish ourselves in our everyday interactions with others.
's daughter means the world to me, and I will support her no matter what!