Girls have much more than just looks

During one of the presidential campaign talks in the US, a 15-year-old girl questioned Hillary Clinton with regards to the unfair emphasis on a girl’s body image and what she would do to advocate that girls are so much more than what they look like. She expressed that in her school, body image was a really big issue. This was probably one of the most pertinent questions asked that evening.

Clinton replied that, “There is so much more to girls than what they look like” and that women “should be the best we can be and be proud of who we are.”

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately three per cent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 suffer from an eating disorder. Fifty per cent of teenage girls use unhealthy weight control behaviours such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives to control their weight.

Body image is an individual’s feelings and thoughts with regards to her physical appearance. A substantial number of girls report being bullied about their body shape. The impact of body image on ones self-esteem is heightened during adolescence.

Girls are beginning to develop concerns about body image at much younger ages now. Children as young as five years old express dissatisfaction with their bodies and say that they would like to be thinner, fairer and prettier.

Media has a very important role to play in the way girls see themselves and the pressures they feel to have an almost untrue idealistic body. Parents need to do what they can to ensure that girls are nurtured with healthy self-esteems.

Some steps we can take in that direction are:

1. Model a healthy body image yourself by not being overly concerned about your own body. Most girls pick up on these attitudes from their mothers. As mothers we should be watchful of what messages we are giving to our daughters with regards to our bodies and theirs.

2. Dad is the first man in a girl’s life. Hearing how beautiful she is from her dad will go a long way in ensuring that your daughters feel that they are appreciated and admired.

3. Try to ensure that your children have a healthy relationship with food. Over or under eating can be harmful.

4. Talk to your daughter about who your daughter is rather than what she looks like. Parents are so likely to say things like “you’re so pretty” to our daughters, instead we need to start complimenting them for what they do like being a great friend, being helpful, brave, etc.

5. Listen to your daughter when she expresses concerns about her body image. Understand why your daughter feels the way she does and help her through the process of accepting herself for all the beauty that is within her. The writer is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor from Florida,

USA and a certified School Counselor from Massachusetts, USA. She is also a Certified

Distance Counselor