“Daddy, am I fat?” I hear my barely 8 year-old daughter ask her father from upstairs. Rarely before has she noticed or cared what she looked like. I listen closely moving my way to the bottom of the stairs so I don’t miss a word. A lump instantly forms in my gut.
It later comes out that a friend of hers commented to a few of them that they were “fat” and had “big tummies”.
This is my daughter:
The girl seriously has a six pack. She is an athlete. She is beautiful. She is also not concerned about looks or fashion or body image. She is a tomboy. So, how did this happen? Why did this comment get under her skin? How can we protect our daughters and preserve their power?
And then I saw this:
Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection)
And I knew. It is not one little girl’s mean words that is the problem. Aside from her own insecurities, this little friend is an innocent victim of this disgusting beast we have been party to creating, or at least sat by and let happen. I do not want my daughter OR my son thinking that this is how women should behave or what makes them valuable.
So, I ask you, what CAN we do? I am going to spend some time really thinking about this too and I promise to get back to you about it. In the meantime, I wrote this post and I will share this trailer and its message to as many as I can.