So, I’m going to be participating in this fab new project with one of my fave brands (details to come VERY soon). To kick it all off I have to respond to this question "Is pop culture responsible for the self-esteem issues facing girls and women today?" My first thought was "of course!" but then I started thinking about personal responsibility and one’s home environment and I thought that maybe it isn’t so clear cut. I have a daughter. I was a teenager. I know all about the issues of self-esteem from many perspectives but this is a complex question.
So what do I do when I need to sort out a tough question? I turn to you. What are your thoughts? Who is responsible for this mess? Is it worse now and why? And who is responsible to make it better?
I would love to hear from you so please complete the poll below and share your perspective in the comments too. More details to come on this exciting new project!
yeah i must say choosing the right thing for your kids some times become harder for you , and you made it preety easy for me . thanks for that
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I became so concerned about the self esteem issue that I wrote a book! . . . . .
Oh to be a PRINCESS! – It’s a dream of most little girls. The challenge of inspiring these little would be princesses to give the same attention to inner qualities as they do hair, makeup and clothes is one that many parents know all too well. The challenge becomes to define the princess world in terms that a young girl can not only dream but LIVE!
This challenge was the inspiration for Sandi Stonebraker when she wrote “On Being A REAL Princess, Secrets of the Happy Heart Princess”. This book is about how to be a princess from the Inside-Out! It’s about how it feels to be a princess.
Featured in the book are sixteen princesses from around the globe who dance into your world with affirmations and messages on what it means to be a REAL Princess. They understand that a REAL Princess is strong, smart and kind. She knows how to think for herself and is proud of who she is and what she believes in. She dreams big and knows that she can make her dreams come true. She understands that everyone is different but each person is special.
The book includes interactive journaling activities dealing with values, self esteem and decision making. It is a useful tool for parents, teachers, religious leaders and other caregivers to open a dialogue with little girls on all those important issues they face as they grow up in an increasingly complex society.
The author feels that it is never too early to begin the discussion on these simple values and feelings and although the book is targeted to ages 6 to 12, all ages seem to feel it’s power in reminding them of what it is to be a REAL PRINCESS!
If you are a parent, grandparent, religious leader, teacher or just someone who has a special little girl in your life, this book is a must!
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I think parents are responsible for instilling sef-esteem from the get-go. Unfortunately as they get older peer pressure and the media will start to influence many of our childrens decisions. We have to make ourselves available for their questions and concerns. If they aren’t talking then we need to start a dialogue with them about good and/or poor decisions they are making. If you have provided your children with a healthy mindset, and have always communicated well with them, it should be easier to deal with.
I think that it is the parents responsiblity to instill morals and common sense in our children. What child at the age of 5 or 6 needs to wear high heeled running shoes, they are still babies, if they hurt our posture can you imagine what it will do to theirs. You don’t need low cut pants and tube tops to give you self-esteem, you need good people around you good moral fiber and the back bone to say NOOOO not on my kid and NOOO you will not watch that. It is becoming like a drug addition, you have to have the clothes to fit in it’s no right. My point is that you need to start young at home if you have low self esteem how is your daughter going to learn to believe in herself that beauty is on what you give to society not what you look like.
Everyone is kidding themselves if they think that during their child’s teen years self esteem is influenced by parents. The world of teenagers is a cruel and judgemental place and your child will have to fight her esteem battles in high school, online, out with their friends and around her enemies. The measuring stick of who is hot and who is not — media. Not you. Not all those wonderful things you said to your child about how great they are etc etc. The media defines beauty and determines what look will be hot. Any company that jumps on the “real is pretty too” bandwagon isn’t doing it for us…….. they are doing it for product placement and sales. I mean, LOOK at the dove women. Then look at the moms in your school parking lot, or in the grocery store or in Walmart. Can you find women like that? No, they will have flawed skin, bodies out of proportion, hair that isn’t as healthy and a kid on one hip and a coffee to go in the other. Those are real women.
I put Yes, even though it isn’t cut and dry I suppose. All these girls look to each other for their self-confidence and they build it through attention they get from home, peers, and elsewhere. Even with all the support and restrictions at home, they still are subject to reality every time they walk out that front door. So I feel that to a teenage girl, or preteen even it seems, their self-confidence is defined by what others think of them and not what they think of themselves. And c’mon, who actually thought their mom was cool when they were teens?? So really they look to their peers, and what is the cool clothes and who has the newest cell phone etc, etc….and this desire for status and popularity and to be a “have” and not a “have-not” is created by that superficial garbage fed to them by pop culture – the music lyrics that promote sex, the teen pop stars that market clothing etc, the commercials telling them what they need – peer pressure is fueled by the crap pop culture makes these kids believe is the key to success and popularity in life. And to a child these determine self-esteem – not the inner love you discover later on in life. They are simply to immature to be able to look past all the superficial crap to see within themselves. Or so I think anyways 🙂
I think young girls and boys are pressured into growing up way too fast these days. Their toys do the thinking for them so they don’t have to use their imagination. You see children with cell phones for heavens sakes talking to friends or text messaging. Little girls with makeup trying to make them look older. Their childhood is taken away from them, they are encouraged to grow up and by the time they get to their teens, they are bored. Nothing left to explore on their on. The roll models, you see on TV, in magazines or the internet are twigs. Their bones are sticking out. Their legs are the size of a normal persons arm for heavens sakes. What kind of message does that send to our children.
My daughter is in SK, so still quite young, but I already see her attitude influenced by what she has seen on TV about women (mostly TV watched at other people’s homes since we restrict it) – women are nurses, not doctors and fully made up, sexy women are “pretty”. Makes me worry.
As a mom to two boys, I think it’s just as important for the media, brands etc to portray a positive and real image of girls and women to boys. I was shocked when I mistakenly viewed a few music videos on Muchmusic recently with scantily clad girls used as “accessories” for the guys. Soooo disrespectful. As host of the Style File, I’m all for dressing and looking one’s best but for yourself and not for anyone else.
It’s funny, being in Europe for two weeks I notice that the women here definitely go MUCH MORE for the ultrafeminine, always dressed up, made up and coiffed look. Everyone is in stiletto heels (on cobblestones no less!) and miniskirts. No lululemons, no sweats, no pyjama bottoms (what is with THAT look, anyway?).
I can’t decide what the influence is on “womanhood”, and if women are in a different position here societally, but I do know that women’s images are very different here.
Just different, is all I’m saying.
So…not all that cut and dried.
Well, I definitely selected ‘not clear cut’ because part of what brands are doing is attracting us to their product based on what is popular and stylish which in turn influences our self esteem. When you look back in history this changes all time and has many times been very voluptuous. Now brands didn’t always exist like to do today so I believe there is an influence but I think CynthiaK raises a good point when she mentioned instilling confidence in her daughter. There are so many aspects in our lives the play a role in how we feel about ourselves. What I liked about Dove’s campaign wasn’t necessarily about beauty but the fact that they raised the point that we don’t and will never all look the same and so I think part of self-esteem that we could use more of from brands is appreciating our differences.
I think it’s a very complicated issue, one driven by many influencing factors, most obviously revenue. But, as the poll says, it’s not that cut and dry.
I read recently that the Dove Real Beauty campaign has actually produced less than wonderful results from a sales perspective. I read that, while women were thrilled to see “real” looking women in the ads, sales have been poor. Apparently, if women feel good when they look at advertising (as in feel good about themselves, relating to the image they see) they are less inclined to want to actually go out and buy more product. “Hey, I look like these women, I don’t need to spend money on more ‘beauty’ products!” Thus, although I too thought the campaign was a great concept, I fear we won’t see any more of them. Shareholders won’t let such a money-losing campaign fly again!
Hopefully I can instill the right kind of confidence in my daughter as she grows. I do already see a tremendous influence from the media and pop culture in general, though.
I know what you’re saying and agree that many Unilever brands have a long way to go. However, I remember when Dove first launched the Real Beauty campaign and the huge risk they took and the backlash and I still think it was brave. I’d rather have one brand standing up and making a change than none I guess. Plus, no matter what, it is business.
So, are these brands responsible or not? Or maybe the question should be “to what degree are they responsible”?
Huh, well, I’m a little leery of “brand” sponsored projects that build girls self esteem. I suppose we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and certainly some effort is better than no effort, but even Dove, who has all those great esteem building promotions, is owned by Unilever, who also owns Axe body spray and SlimFast diet drinks. Axe ads have historically jumped on the “sex sells” bandwagon : P