Monday, November 7, 2011
Less than 2 percent of women say they feel beautiful. How does your daughter feel?
I’m satisfied with my overall appearance, yet I often feel conflicted about certain aspects of my body. If I do feel beautiful, it’s because: 1) I had parents who affirmed my beauty and built my confidence. 2) Research has led me to believe in True Beauty. 3) I learned to spew the disgusting food the media insists on shoving down women’s throats and internalize positive messages instead. The average American sees 3,000 advertising messages a day. That seems high, but when you consider that the barrage starts on our cereal boxes and includes magazines, television, billboards, computer screens and countless other images, it’s probably accurate. Responding to the media is difficult for women, because women are portrayed differently …
Monday, October 31, 2011
Feminine allure was important to Eve and to Farrah. It matters to our daughters, too.
“Feminine allure.” I love that phrase. It sings of beauty, mystery, power. Sometimes just saying the words feels … almost dangerous. But is our femininity dangerous? As women, something tells us that our beauty is dangerous. We know it, deep inside. That it can bring (or cause) harm if we flaunt it. That it’s not right to desire it too much or we ourselves will be found to be both “too much” and “less than.” Every woman feels the tug. We all want to feel beautiful. Yet surveys show that less than 2 percent of women dare to describe themselves as "beautiful." Our daughters are no different. How do we affirm the truth that is already within them? That beauty is important? That feminine allure is powerful? That this power can be used for …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
We're piggybacking off Donna J. Noble's past two "The Growth Chart" columns for this week's Moms Talk and asking, How much should beauty matter?
This week and last week, our parenting columnist Donna J. Noble wrote about why some aspects of beauty should matter and why some shouldn't. She tailored her writing around the "Science of Style" badge that's given to fashion-savvy Girl Scouts. Donna wrote this week: Girls (who are distinctly feminine in their thinking and actions, from birth!) shouldn’t want to pursue a badge about things that make them look and feel good. They ought to be encouraged to understand fashion scientifically. Otherwise, we might be nurturing Barbie-Syndrome. Right? If you haven't seen the columns yet, take a look and get caught up before diving into today's Moms Talk. Strong, Intelligent and Beautiful Selling Cookies, Selling Science Then answer any or all of…
Meegan Massello
4:40 am on Friday, October 28, 2011
When I had my son I was thrilled. I thought "No need to worry about about hair and make up". I was right, he could care less. He would go to school in his pajamas if I would let him. Then of course my second child was a girl. I felt a little lost. Pigtails and ribbons and pink sheets were a mystery to me. At least I had some time, or so I thought. She is only 13 months old and already she poses … more ›