Why Good Parenting Is the Key to Confidence Building
I was listening to talk radio in the car one morning and the DJ played an audio clip of a woman talking about her body image issues.
She said, and I paraphrase: "I don't really like my legs, my calves are too small for my frame and my thighs are too thick.
I have cellulite on my butt and my stomach isn't as flat as it used to be.
I have back fat: when I put on my bra there's extra fat around the straps.
I have body image issues just like any other woman.
" I was shocked to hear the identity of the insecure woman was former supermodel, Tyra Banks! As you may know, Tyra Banks is a successful fashion model and television personality who has taken an interest in diversifying beauty and building self-esteem in women and girls.
Recently, Tyra said she never heard of size zero when she started modeling in the early 90s.
Models at that time (think Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell), were expected to wear a size four or six.
I learned later from a designer on my Facebook page that size zero was only invented in the mid-90s.
It struck me that models are now altering their bodies to fit the clothes rather than the other way around.
Tyra Banks has also shared that when she first began modeling, an agency in Milan told her she was too big for the job.
Her mother's response? "Let's go eat some pizza and decide how we're going to market your curves.
" Tyra credits her decision not to starve herself for her successful career.
She also avoided the emotional and physical torment of a potential eating disorder through her mother's positive parenting advice.
Her mother's response in that moment likely affected the entire trajectory of her daughter's life and career.
What if her mother had not been there? What if instead of building self-esteem through acceptance her mother had suggested a diet instead? Tyra's family support had much to do with her ability to accept herself and her body type.
And recent research backs up the fact that family support is a huge factor in body confidence among girls.
Tyra Banks has said: "I want to provide social commentary, I feel like it`s my responsibility to do something about [body image issues] because I was in fashion for so long projecting an image that's so hard to live up to, an image that is manipulated and tweaked.
" Parenting teenagers and preteen girls is challenging in the face of all these negative media messages.
Understanding how media and body image are intertwined is essential to building self-esteem in yourself and your daughter.
When you stop judging yourself according to false standards and discovering the secrets behind body image and the media, your daughter benefits from the shift in the way you talk about yourself and will learn important principles like self-acceptance and critical thinking.
Your daughter will learn to question and challenge the images that surround her rather than feeling compelled to conform to them.
As she finds happiness from inside rather than outside sources, she will begin building confidence and sharing her true gifts from a place of authenticity rather than people pleasing.
In this way, the whole world wins.
She said, and I paraphrase: "I don't really like my legs, my calves are too small for my frame and my thighs are too thick.
I have cellulite on my butt and my stomach isn't as flat as it used to be.
I have back fat: when I put on my bra there's extra fat around the straps.
I have body image issues just like any other woman.
" I was shocked to hear the identity of the insecure woman was former supermodel, Tyra Banks! As you may know, Tyra Banks is a successful fashion model and television personality who has taken an interest in diversifying beauty and building self-esteem in women and girls.
Recently, Tyra said she never heard of size zero when she started modeling in the early 90s.
Models at that time (think Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell), were expected to wear a size four or six.
I learned later from a designer on my Facebook page that size zero was only invented in the mid-90s.
It struck me that models are now altering their bodies to fit the clothes rather than the other way around.
Tyra Banks has also shared that when she first began modeling, an agency in Milan told her she was too big for the job.
Her mother's response? "Let's go eat some pizza and decide how we're going to market your curves.
" Tyra credits her decision not to starve herself for her successful career.
She also avoided the emotional and physical torment of a potential eating disorder through her mother's positive parenting advice.
Her mother's response in that moment likely affected the entire trajectory of her daughter's life and career.
What if her mother had not been there? What if instead of building self-esteem through acceptance her mother had suggested a diet instead? Tyra's family support had much to do with her ability to accept herself and her body type.
And recent research backs up the fact that family support is a huge factor in body confidence among girls.
Tyra Banks has said: "I want to provide social commentary, I feel like it`s my responsibility to do something about [body image issues] because I was in fashion for so long projecting an image that's so hard to live up to, an image that is manipulated and tweaked.
" Parenting teenagers and preteen girls is challenging in the face of all these negative media messages.
Understanding how media and body image are intertwined is essential to building self-esteem in yourself and your daughter.
When you stop judging yourself according to false standards and discovering the secrets behind body image and the media, your daughter benefits from the shift in the way you talk about yourself and will learn important principles like self-acceptance and critical thinking.
Your daughter will learn to question and challenge the images that surround her rather than feeling compelled to conform to them.
As she finds happiness from inside rather than outside sources, she will begin building confidence and sharing her true gifts from a place of authenticity rather than people pleasing.
In this way, the whole world wins.
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