The saying, ‘you are your own worst critic’ is particularly true when it comes to our appearance. “My thighs are too big”, “my crows feet are getting worse”, and “I hate my nose” are common thoughts had by women every day. But what if those self-esteem-killing thoughts were being projected onto those you love, like your daughter or your sister? What if you found out that your daughter didn’t want to go to the beach or swim anymore because she was embarrassed about her body? Or that she no longer wanted to be in the school play because she didn’t feel ‘pretty enough’?
In a recent survey conducted by Dove Australia, it was revealed that globally, 6 out of 10 young women aged between 10 and 17 stop doing the things they love because they feel bad about their looks. Shockingly, it also revealed that at least 215,694 Australian girls will avoid swimming this summer because they feel bad in a swimming costume; that 71 per cent of Australian teens are feeling pressured to be beautiful; and that 17 per cent of Australian girls have avoided physical activity or sport because of how they look.
In light of these results, Dove has launched its latest self-esteem initiative, calling upon the help of mothers to “make girls unstoppable”. Caroline Gregory, Dove Brand Manager says, “Dove is on a mission to build self-esteem in girls because we know that when girls have confidence they are more likely to live up to their full potential in life.”
To kick-start the campaign, Dove has recently launched a powerful video (watch above), to help raise awareness about the self-esteem issues that young girls face.
Have you ever avoided an activity because of the way you look? What do you think mothers can do to help their daughters build self-esteem and confidence?
