little girls.

((You know how sometimes you get to a site/story/photo and you have no idea how it happened or who you should give credit to? Well, HERE is the first source. HERE is the quaint summary and HERE is how I stumbled upon it.))

BEFORE YOU READ ANYMORE... take a second to think of what the first thing you would really say to these girls would be....

A question? A compliment?

    

 

So today I have found a new soapbox. Will I stand up for it when confronted? ...only time will tell. Since I once was a little girl myself, I can actually remember people telling me how cute I was, how pretty my dress and hair was, etc... Is that what should have happened? Who was that compliment really for? Me? Because I think I should have been hearing you are pretty, cute, beautiful  smart, funny and have your own thoughts. I think it is our first instinct to compliment a little girl's outfit or hair because THAT'S what you talk to little girls about. It's comfortable. We thing we are making them feel good. But they aren't always little girls... they grow  up to be big sad, depressed, low self-esteem girls. And what are the things they have learned to talk about? Their looks, their clothes, their hair... It's something to really think about. I know I will.
 

Add this to your fact book. "15 to 18 percent of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and 25 percent of young American women would rather win America's Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize."


Do you see where this is going? Should a change [should] be made. Perhaps this is where it all stems from.

More on this topic...

For the long version, go HERE.
For the short(er) version, go HERE.