Blog is a word we now use to describe keeping a journal of entries on the "web" and that word derived from weblog, its origination. So if a journal entry is made on paper - we could say that is an erlog, right? Well for the sake of this blog, erlog is what I am going with. Kass brought home her Friday folder this past weekend. She had a journal entry on paper or a paperlog in that folder. I loved it and thought I would share it here. Her erlog is below:
Don't you love how she references what others think of her and then follows it up with "I am also cool." Here it's as if she says 'and this is what I think of myself.' I loved this and I want to constantly encourage and uplift hers as well as other young girls' and teen girls' self esteem. Too many things influence girls and minimizes their self image and their ego. They are convinced they have to be model thin, model pretty and wear model brand clothes.
So somehow in an attempt to counteract that I hope you will make it a point today to tell a young girl or teen that she is beautiful. Oh, and don't forget to tell her she really is "cool" too. Because if she is like Kass, she will already realize that, but a little reconfirmation can never hurt.
Now it's your turn:
Do you think our media focuses on young women and constantly reiterates they aren't quite good enough?
In doing some quick research online I found this article from kids.lovetoknow.com. They answer these kinds of questions and point you to research on answers to things like: "What Studies Show: Links Between Media and Self Esteem in Girls." In this same article they also outline "Ways to Develop, Improve, and Maintain Self Esteem in Girls." Just because it's on the Internet doesn't make it "doctrine" but I think it's worth taking a minute to understand ways we can improve our young girls and their self images growing up.
3 comments:
That's such a great "erlog" your daughter did. Love it! I agree with you, the "I'm also cool" is her way of showing her high self esteem. You're a great mom to have a daughter feel so good about herself!
I love it. And I agree that the media is telling not just young women but all of us that we are not good enough. That's how they keep us buying more things and keep the economy strong, isn't it?
My niece is 13 and its tough to see how mean girls are to each other. *sigh* And I have 2 of them!
Thank you, thank you for this! I hope you know this is such a reflection of you as a parent.
One of the reasons I went on that recent camping trip with my daughter's third grade class was precisely what you point out here: there is so much pressure on girls to act a certain way, dress a certain way... Although it was exhausting to camp as a single parent, I wanted to give my daughter the chance to bond with other girls away from the media.
I think it went really well...
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