If you asked a girl what would make her feel more confident: looking skinny in a fashionable outfit or playing on a soccer team, how do you think she would answer?
There’s a good chance she would stop and think about it first.
It’s not news that girls are bombarded with thousands of negative messages every day, everywhere they look.
Sometimes it seems like we’re trying to mop up a flood with a cotton swab, but more and more, people are speaking out about disempowering messages and limiting stereotypes aimed at girls. As consumers we’re questioning why girls are marketed to differently than boys, challenging magazines that portray girls’ as no more than the “sum of their fashion, makeup and hair”, and calling out the media industry on its dismal representation of girls.
When Somaya Amiri thinks of role models, she thinks of her mom.
“I picked up all her habits, whether it’s the way she talks, or the way she tucks her hair behind her ears. I learned how to strive and fight for life like her.”
The McGill University student, who is originally from Afghanistan, credits her mother with being the most influential person in her life. But, in her blog post Learning to Love Myself, she also reflects on how social expectations can make it difficult for mothers to model self-love.
Can you think of the last time you were body shamed?
I can. It was two months ago at a hair salon. I had taken a vacation day and there I was sitting in the salon chair, so excited to try out a new style. It was a teaching salon and the instructor was looking to show the student what might be a good style for me. As I made suggestions and showed photos of what I like, they were speaking as if I wasn’t even there – “don’t cut it here – look how WIDE that makes her neck look!”
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