Parents have a profound influence on children's perceptions of themselves, especially regarding body image and self-worth.
Today's teenagers are growing up in a world filled with unrealistic beauty standards, so it's essential to model empowering attitudes to help our daughters develop a healthy self-image.
Your teenage daughter absorbs how you view yourself and others, so make sure she is being inspired to be proud of herself and not be self-critical. So, what can you do to encourage a strong sense of self?
1. Ensure Your Daughter Never…
Hears you compliment someone else's weight loss
Hears you ordering a ‘skinny’ latte
Hears you say “Go on then, I’ll be naughty and have a treat.”
Hears you judging someone else body size/shape
Hears you say, “I can’t wear that; I'm the wrong size for it.”
Sees you celebrate yourself for losing weight.
Sees you on a diet
Sees you step on the scales
Sees you illuminating food groups to lose weight
Sees you treating food and exercise as transactional
2. Model Healthy Eating Habits
Demonstrate a balanced approach to food by enjoying a variety of foods without labelling them as "good" or "bad." Yes, some foods are more nutritionally dense, but food does not have a moral value, and one food is not more superior to another. This helps your daughter understand that all foods can be part of a healthy diet and reduces the likelihood of developing an unhealthy relationship with food.
Encourage mindful eating, listening to your body's hunger and fullness cues, and honouring taste cravings. For example, it’s okay not to finish all the food on your plate and to crave sweet foods after a meal.
3. Media Messaging
Invite your daughter to be curious about the media's beauty and body standards. Discuss how images are often filtered, doctored, and don't represent body diversity.
When it comes to adverts, ask her these questions:
Who are they targeting, and why?
Does the ‘problem’ they're offering a solution to really need to be solved, for example, cream for cellulite or a bodysuit for a ‘snatched’ waist?
Who is making money off making us feel insecure?
4. Encourage Intuitive Movement For Joy
Promote exercise and movement as a source of mental and physical well-being rather than a means to alter one's appearance. Explore activities you can both enjoy, such as paddleboarding, dancing, or playing tennis. This promotes a positive attitude toward exercise and diverts it from having a goal weight/shape/size attached to it.
By making these mindful changes, you can create a supportive environment where your daughter feels confident in her skin. Breaking the cycle of poor body image starts with you, and the impact of your actions can last a lifetime.
Visit our blog regularly for more tips and in-depth insights on how to nurture a generation of empowered women!
Sending Light Your Way 💫
Zoë x
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