Beauty

My baby girl LOVES to wear dresses. The other night, we were going to a Bible study and the kids were going to play outside. M asked to wear a dress. I told her that she should wear pants so that she could run and play. She said, "but if I wear a dress everyone will tell me how pretty I am." This struck me because I don't want her to be consumed with trying to be thin enough, pretty enough, wearing all the right cloths etc.

I told M, "You are beautiful because of who you are, not what you wear." Then I told her how pretty she looked at that moment. She said, "But I don't have on a dress!"

According to this site, a new study has found that 75% of women report disordered eating behaviors consistent with eating disorders. This does not surprise me, but it saddens me. I am not always happy with who I am and how I look, so I can relate.

Now I struggle with the best way to build self esteem in my baby girl. I want her to feel beautiful inside and out. I want her to have a healthy body image. However, I want her to understand that what is inside makes her beautiful, regardless of her weight, her hair, her cloths, etc.