As an educator, I get to see first-hand what happens to young girls who have low or poor self-esteem. Almost immediately, not feeling good about themselves catapults them into a downward spiral that they cannot always recover from. This is especially true during adolescence when the added factors of going through puberty and peer pressure cause many young girls to doubt their own self-worth.
Many of my female students come to me to share their feelings about not being pretty enough, about not being as beautiful as their friends, or wondering why certain boys are not interested in them. Notice that all of these feelings stem from what they think other people’s perception is of who they are or whether they are good enough. The thing that is lacking from this equation is a feeling of love and worthiness from within. The problem is that a lot of young girls have not been taught how to love and value themselves first.
We need to teach young girls and young women that they are defined by much more than what they look like. They need to learn how to be valued for who they are inside and for who they are as an individual. Their true beauty lies in their uniqueness and in the positive contributions that they make to the society that they live in as well as the world. It’s time to break through the status quo’s definition of beauty as simply being physically beautiful. At the end of the day, physical beauty is temporary while inner beauty is forever.
Dove believes that young girls and women should celebrate their beauty instead of worrying whether they are beautiful enough. As women, we have a responsibility to impart this wisdom upon the younger generations of girls who look up to us to set an example. It’s time to start the discussion about how we are all beautiful in our own ways. Dove has started the discussion through their initiative Vive Mejor Hablemos “Let’s Talk” which is committed to inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential.
According to Dove Global research:
* 72% of girls ages (10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful.(1)
* Only 11% of girls ages (10-17) are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves.(2)
* When girls feel badly about their looks more than 60% globally (age 15-17) avoid normal daily activities including attending school, going to the doctor, or even giving their opinion.(3)
The Dove movement to promote self-esteem is creating many opportunities for women to make a difference in the lives of young girls and other young women. One such event will take place on Thursday, October 4th from 7-8 EST. Program expert, People en Español columnist and parenting expert Jeannette Torres-Alvarez will be hosting a Facebook chat to discuss how you can support the young girls in your life to define beauty in a more positive light.
Together we can teach young girls around the world the true definition of beauty which is that we are all beautiful and should celebrate our differences. Make sure you visit the Vive Mejor website to learn how you can celebrate your beauty and live better at the same time!
*1-2 Source: Dove Global Research The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited
*3 Source: Dove Global Research: Rebuilding the Foundation of Beauty Beliefs
Disclosure: This compensated post was written as part of a blogging program through Dove and Latina Bloggers Connect. Any statements made in this post are the author’s honest opinions. I only recommend products or services I use personally and I believe will be “family friendly.” I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.
I think this is heavily fueled by the media and I’m SO thankful Dove has taken a different route! I appreciate what they’re doing because I was definitely one of those girls and never would’ve gone to a teacher to talk about it. It would’ve been too hard! Thank you for joining in this movement!
Hi, Mimi. Thank you for your positive feedback. As an educator I get to see first-hand how detrimental poor self image is in the lives of young women. I am proud to be a part of this movement which promotes self love and addresses the importance of having good self-esteem.