Negative body image issues start early for girls

One of the gifts I want to give my daughter is a healthy, realistic body image and a love for herself that is rooted deep and radiates from the inside out.  This is going to be an extremely large task considering our children are bombarded with unrealistic media images everywhere they look.  This along with mothers who obsess over their own weight, and fathers who display a clear preference for thinner women, can leave a life long imprint on what it means to be a woman of value in our culture.

WebMD asked the experts and really dug inside the issue and gave some great advice on ways to help girls develop a healthy attitude about their bodies.

So let’s break it down:

On average, a young woman receives 180 minutes of media influence and only 10 minutes of parental interaction per day according to Renee Hobbs, EdD, associate professor of communications at Temple University.  This just sets our teens up for failure and can cause low self esteem and eating disorders.  The best way to combat this is to acknowledge and encourage girls to think objectively about the images and what goes into creating that facade of perfection.  Remind them of the camera tricks and air brushing that goes on behind the scenes.  Dove's campaign for real beauty is a wonderful resource and strives to show real beauty of all ages, shapes, and color.

Girls pay acute attention to what mothers say about their own bodies, and that of celebrities.  I know I will think twice about making catty comments about so-and-so celebrity who packed on a few pounds from now on.  We as mothers are our daughter’s most influential role model.  So let’s do not only us, but them a favor and just love ourselves.  Let's embrace our own inner beauty and strength.

Next in line of influence is dear dad.  According to Carleton Kendrick EdM, LCSW, social worker and co-author of Take Out Your Nose Ring, Honey, We're Going to Grandma's, a daughter learns how to relate to men by the way she relates to her father.  So if daddy tells his daughter she may need to drop and peel 10, this could be life changing and extremely negative.  So dads, I would leave the lets get healthy and start a work out routine talk to mom.  Equally important says Kendrick is how fathers perceive all women, not just their daughters.  Kendrick urges all fathers: "Pay attention to how you respond to the media images of sexy, thin women because your daughter is listening."

And finally, parents point out healthy children playing at the park or walking in the mall.  Compliment your daughter’s achievements in school and her positive contributions to her family and community.  Teach your daughter that she is worthy and beautiful just for being her. The best way for me to instill this into my own daughter, is to practice what I preach and love myself no matter what weight I am.  This is something that I have struggled with my whole life, equating my worth as a person with the number on the scale.  I will do whatever I can to spare my daughter this counter productive mentality.