What Girls Hear When Adults Talk About Their Weight Loss Goals
If you're like us, nearly every adult in your circle is talking about their "new year, new me" goals -- many of which seem to fall into the bucket of weight loss.
The start of a new year is a great time to pause and reflect. What it's not a great time for is the self-criticism that often comes along with that. Diet culture is in full swing right now, and our skinny-obsessed world is taking out all of the stops to ensure we don't feel good enough.
Which means that girls are hearing from the majority of the adults in their lives about their calorie intake, the carbs they need to cut, or all of the exercise they need to do to burn off that holiday fat.
Here's the thing. The majority of girls already lack confidence in their changing bodies. Puberty accounts for some of these confidence challenges, however, girls are also inundated with harmful messages about the ideal body size, shape, and image. These internalized messages can impact the way that a girl feels about herself, which can contribute to lower levels of confidence.
Unfortunately, girls’ perception of their bodies has a huge impact on their self-esteem, and it is not until we de-emphasize the importance of looks and emphasize the importance of other traits and characteristics that we begin to shift these perceptions. We want girls to value who they are and what they are good at over what they look like.
That can start with you. During this season of goal-setting and vision-building for the next year, we encourage you to make a conscious decision to refrain from negative comments about your body and, instead, look for ways to uplift and support those around you.
Here are some other ways to promote positive body image with the girls in your life:
Work with girls to practice positive, affirming self-talk (and have them hear you do so, too!)
Help girls identify role models who exhibit a healthy body image and celebrate all bodies
Talk regularly about how media influences self-image and point out images that promote unrealistic expectations
Compliment youth on their skills, perseverance, and personality traits, rather than physical attributes
Role model supportive and encouraging relationships. Do girls hear you disparage or criticize women? Or does she see, in you, an example of what strong and effective relationships can look like?
For more tips on how to talk with girls, read chapter 3, Being a Girl Today is Hard: Gender Roles, Body Image, and Confidence, of Girls Without Limits: Helping Girls Succeed in Relationships, Academics, Careers, and Life by Dr. Lisa Hinkelman. Sign-up here to have our next blog sent straight to your inbox!