It’s Friday! This week FLEW by–what about you?
I am afraid I didn’t find a whole lot of bombshells this week out in beauty blog land, so I only have one post to share.
Over at the Huffington Post, Delia Ephron has a pretty interesting read about the messages adolescent girls are getting from moms that have plastic surgery. She uses Heidi Montag, the 23 year old reality TV star whose over-the-top plastic surgery exploits have left her looking 10 years older and fair game for gossip columnists, as a kicking off point. Ephron talks about how in researching (not sure how scientific) her latest novel, she saw loads of self loathing among young girls whose moms were obsessed with perfecting their own image.
One girl talked of “competitive dieting” with her mom. One mom likes to point out that her daughter’s frown lines will lead to permanent wrinkles–particularly when they are in the middle of an important conversation. And she turns me on to a study by the Girl Scouts of the USA released this week that criticizes the fashion industries use of super-skinny model. The study links the perpetual use of skinny fashion icons leads to body image distortion in young girls. (I can be cynical here and point out that the Girl Scouts have a financial stake in women eating lots and lots of cookies.)
Read through the comments as well, and you will find some pretty insightful stuff (along with the requisite crap). In particular, OnTheCuff shares a piece of advice a woman once gave her: “At any given age, you are far more beautiful than you think you are.” I think this is worth highlighting.
Since I have a young daughter, issues of positive body image are always on my mind. I work hard to hide my own insecurities from her. And it just about drives me around the bend when I catch my mother in law mention that she’s not eating a Thin Mint because she’s dieting in front of her. I try to show The Kid that all the beauty products I play with, while they serve a purpose, are also fun. And that the treatments I give are about reducing stress and making the body and mind feel better and more energized.
But yeah, some days it feels like I am fighting a losing battle.
Because while I totally get Ephron’s point that good self esteem starts at home, I think laying total blame at the mother’s feet is pretty unfair. Kids, as we know, are cruel. And they also yearn to be accepted. A cutting remark from a peer can send a (particularly sensitive) girl’s self esteem into a downward spiral, no matter what her home situation.
If you ever have an opportunity to build up a young girl’s self esteem, do it, even if she oozes confidence. A small kind remark may make a world of difference.
