Self esteem has been a big topic around here lately. I have dealt with low self esteem since childhood. I was too short, too fat, not pretty enough, didn't have the right clothes, I could go on and on. It is not as bad now that I'm an adult, but I still have to work on it.
Now, Ashley is at the age that self esteem is becoming a big thing for her. I think it is harder for her, because of her hemifacial microsomia, her face doesn't look like everyone else. We don't notice it so much, but other people sure do. When you look at her in a mirror, that is when you see it the most. About two weeks ago is when Ashley realized how pronounced it looks in her reflection. That, combined with a little boy who will not sit near her in reading class who calls her a monster, have really shock her self esteem. Between cruel kids, peer pressure, and the media, our girls get attacked from all sides with what being beautiful means.
So, as Mom, I need to help build her up and help her to be strong, teach her about real beauty, and empower her to love herself. But, how do I do that?
Thanks goodness for Dove and their awesome Campaign for Real Beauty. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund was established to inspire and educate girls about a wider definition of beauty and is committed to reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010 with self-esteem programming. Thanks to the support of influential women globally, Dove has already reached 2 million girls and conducted nearly 2,700 educational self-esteem workshops since 2006. This fall Dove launched the "Thank you for Making a Difference" program to thank supporters for building girl's self esteem and to invite everyone to share their stories about making a difference in self esteem. Check out this video for more information on Dove's fantastic self esteem workshops.
Their website is chock full of information to help you talk to and empower the girls in your life. I was very impressed with the amount of resources they offer. I am also very impressed with Dove's commitment to this issue, how many beauty companies tell us we are already beautiful? You can help support the Dove Self-Esteem Fund by simply purchasing Dove products, then entering the UPC here, and select a charity. You can choose from Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Girls Inc.
Thank you, Dove. Thank you for helping us empower our girls and thank you for trying to broaden everyone's definition of beauty.
The thoughts and opinions in this post are entirely my own. I will be receiving Dove product and True You! Workbooks from Dove. These items have in no way influenced this post.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=34364f79-faee-461f-83e5-aa6a9b096e87)
7 comments:
I love all those Dove commercial and the whole movement they started.
It was about time someone did.I don't have daughters, but my best friend is raising 3 girls and I see how much struggle she is going through with the self esteem and body image.
That is so awesome that Dove is doing this. I will be sure to buy more Dove products to help support. I had (and still do) self esteem issues growing up and now Amy is facing them as well. Thanks for sharing this information.
i love how dove is supporting women in a well rounded aspect
as women we are always feeling like we fall short in looks
I also love the movement Dove has started, I can't believe what the media is teaching girls.
I am the mum of two girls and this is a very important topic. I had issues with self esteem and I want my gilrs to be resilient and to have a healthy sense of self.
Hearing about the boy who won't sit next to your daughter broke my heart. Let's hear it for companies like Dove saying something different!
When I was in elementary school they had something called "Project Self-Esteem" or something close to that. My mom really think that has helped me through life, even though I barely remember it. She still remembers it well!
Post a Comment