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We need godly women to help about a billion young girls.
My little sister is 11 years old, and is experiencing one of the most confusing times in a girl’s life, that of the “tween.” Several times I have heard her say, “I’m fat” and “she’s SO much prettier than me,” and I have come to realize something. Girls are not educated from a young age to have a healthy self-image. How cool would it be if elementary schools had a class, specifically for girls, that helped them through these tough “tween” times? Or if churches had a special health program for girls that mixed education about healthy eating, exercise, and self-worth based on the love of Christ? Teaching girls that body types are different and that a healthy body coupled with a positive outlook on life is very attractive, and that the media is full of lies…these would be valuable lessons for girls that age.
When you were younger, where did you get your ideas about beauty and self-image?
Magazines? Movies? Comparisons with people who were skinnier than you? What the boys said?
If you were to help young girls with self-image/self-worth, what kinds of things would you do? What would you tell them? Do you think something like this would be effective?
Michelle
May 27th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Michelle,
ah this is a beautiful idea. I struggled so much with my self esteem in my younger years that it affected my health, my walk with God and my relationships with friends and family. The biggest difference in my life was older girls setting me straight.. pouring truth into me about What God thinks.. helping me to identify the lies. We need to be there for our little sisters and friends… If we don’t fight lies with truth.. the lie will win.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Thanks so much for your passion and writing in this blog! This is something that is so pervasive in our culture and it definitely works to captures girls hearts away from seeking their all powerful saviour Christ. I am reading a book right now called Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley. It goes through the waves of feminism and explores how their lies are shaping the future generations and provides practical applications on biblical womanhood in a culture where anything goes. This has been so important for me to consider as I am surrounded by passionate feminists and would highly recommend the read!
June 1st, 2009 at 5:32 am
Ty that book sounds really interesting, I will definitely add that to my “to-read” list! What a great resource! It is fascinating how even though the feminist movements have brought some benefits (ie women allowed to vote), some components of it have done damage as well.
June 6th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I think starting with the girls at a young age is essential. Young females, at their most impressionable stages, need to recognize their value and their worth. In addition, I also think that young boys need to start being taught to treat girls with respect and care. They need to be letting girls know their value by how they interact with them and talk about them. So often, girls have been negatively effected by males in their lives who have spoken down to them or belittled them. It could have been from their father, their brother, a boyfriend etc. If those men or boys had been taught first of all their own value and then also the great value of women, then those young girls would not have suffered as they had.