I am extremely scared for her.
It's a known fact that the media is particularly harsh on women and the ideal image of how a woman should be. You have your movies of course, and your fashion runway models and photoshopped images of perfect looking women gracing the covers of magazines. But it goes so much further than that.
In my opinion, our society bases so much on looks and body image, especially for women. Whether a particular performer is being talked about, or the sexualized female characters you see in every movie plot. Society has painted the picture that looks really do matter, and that has been drilled into the core of what we do. It goes much deeper than photoshopping an image. Being in the spotlight, your looks are always being discussed, whether it's your hair, the clothes you're wearing, or even your body.
It is so engrained in our society that looks matter, that we fail to even realize how damaging it can be.
What I think is even more harmful in this day and age is social media. I find it really disturbing that girls as young as 11 and 12 are taking the infamous "selfie" shots and posting them online for everyone to see. I get it, posting a picture on social media can be gratifying at times, I mean everyone wants to feel acknowledged but what exactly are we promoting here? Once again, we are promoting physical appearance.
While social media is great for building awareness and connecting with friends and family, I believe it has many harmful effects, especially on young girls who are not mature enough yet to know what they are up against. Even worse, a lot of the messages and comments spread can be very damaging.
Just 10 years ago, when I was 15 we used instant messaging. I specifically remember one day receiving very hurtful messages from a screen name I did not recognize. They wouldn't identify themselves, and they kept calling me names and belittling me. They threatened me, and also talked about my physical appearance in the worst way. When I would block them, they would just create another screen name and keep messaging me. I never found out who that person was, but it was very traumatic for me at the time, so much so that I transferred high schools. I had an extremely hard time dealing with the hurtful things being said. To this day, it is still something that I remember and think of how hurt I was.
It pains me to see this happening via the social media we have today. I believe as women, and as parents, we should take every opportunity to lift each other up. Stop looking for our flaws and stop comparing so much, every one of us has something unique and different to offer.
There is a group that is taking a stand.
The Confidence Coalition is a non-profit organization that promotes confidence in young girls and women. They believe in taking a stand against media stereotypes and stepping out against harassment, bullying and hazing of young girls.
To join the movement and see how you can help, visit their website: Confidence Coalition.
As women, it's time to start uplifting each other and believing in ourselves. That's one thing I hope to teach my daughter...
"...And that's when I get to wondering, what would happen if I told her something good, everyday?"
- Kathryn Stockett, The Help
