Last week I had a very important conversation with my 8 year old daughter, which was prompted by her desire to wear clothes that are either too tight or too short. I am completely baffled by this desire because my husband and I are raising all of our children in a devote christian home where we not only speak about Jesus but live and love Jesus daily. My daughter also seems to have a fascination with wanting to have long, straight permed hair. I do my best not to tell her these things are wrong but to use these as opportunities to find out more about her curiosity. A couple of weeks ago at the 2nd Annual Mommy & Me Meetup, Lakeisha of Girls Like Me (one of our speakers) asked a very important question during her presentation that I just can’t seem to get out of my head. She asked, “Is the media your mirror?” The girls in the room quickly answered no, but as she went through the presentation and showed photos of girls in the media and the messages that are being sent about weight, “cool” clothing and even music, it was obvious to me that in some ways my daughter has been looking to the media for examples of who she should be in the world.
Photo from Miss Representation Blog regarding American Apparel Ad
My husband and I took some time to explain to my daughter what the world sees when she dresses inappropriately and we also lovingly explained to her “Who you are is enough, and that you don’t need to look, talk or be like anyone else to be accepted. You are uniquely who God created you to be.” How are you dealing with raising girls and self image issues? If you haven’t already, check out one of my favorite documentaries on this subject,“MissReprensenation” it a must see for anyone raising daughter.
