Be Inspired, #DoveInspired – The Dove Movement for Self Esteem

Did you know: Anxiety about looks begins at an early age and holds girls back (from reaching their full potential.) According to Dove global research: 72 percent of girls (ages 10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful^[1] and only 11 percent of girls (ages 10-17) are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves.^[2]

Self esteem was an issue when I was growing up. I wasn’t your typical cool kid in junior high school and high school. I was insecure about myself because I did not believe I was as pretty as the other girls, I was too tall or too skinny. I remember school kids picking on me because of my nose, they would call me Ms. Piggie, or Minnie Mouse. I would also get picked on about my neck, and they would call me a giraffe. My hair was another issue; girls would throw chewing gum at my hair, or pull it because they thought it was a wig.

I wasn’t a physical fighter; I would walk away and not start trouble, I never liked fights or confrontations.

The things my schoolmates did and/or said to me were very hurtful at the time, but with the support of my family and friends I learned to ignore their comments.

The funny thing about my teenage years was the way things turned out in the end… During my junior year of high school, I was more involved in school activities and committees. I was the secretary of my high school student body, which to my surprised students voted for me to be their Secretary. I was part of the Yearbook Committee, Prom Committee. I also graduated with Honors and was awarded several scholarships to attend colleges and universities I had applied to, including the school I attended, Stony Brook University. All my involvement in school activities led to building my self-esteem, and that made me happy, confident and overall beautiful, inside and out.

My advice to young girls about beauty and self esteem is the following:

• Know you are beautiful – We are all beautiful. Only be concerned about how you feel, how you look, not how others see you or say you look. The only opinion that matter, about your looks, is your own.
• Do things that make you happy – Doing things that make you happy, builds self esteem. Happiness is beautiful. When you are happy you are beautiful.
• Surround yourself with positive people – I know its tough making friends in school, finding or making friends with people that share similar interest as yours can help you both support and learn from each other.

Everyone has the opportunity to make a difference in a girl’s self-esteem:

• More than half of girls globally say their mother is their number one female role model (66 percent U.S., 59 percent Canada)^[4]
• A simple act, such as starting a conversation about beauty, can make a world of difference.
• The Dove Movement for Self-Esteem opens up a world of opportunities for women to make a difference.

Dove invites women across the U.S. to participate in the Dove Self-Esteem Weekend, taking place October 5-7 nationwide.

Please visit: Dove’s initiative Vive Mejor Hablemos “Let’s Talk” to learn more.

Please note:  This post is compensated in collaboration with Dove and Latina Bloggers Connect.

——————————————————————————–

SOURCE: Dove, Latina Bloggers Connect, Vive Mejor

1,2 Source: Dove Global Research The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited
[4] Source: Dove Global Research The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited – Extending the Conversation to the Next Generation