 |
| Miss E - artistic, expressive, loyal, hard-working, conscientious, honest, great sense of humour, true to herself, authentic, brave, determined, self-disciplined, diligent, caring and creative |
I came across a video today and it makes for a very interesting, powerful and scary watch. The video has been created by Girls. Girls. Girls. magazine and it shows Cynthia Nixon narrating the words of Camille Rainville.
"Don’t be too fat. Don’t be too thin. Eat up. Slim down. Stop eating so much. Don’t eat too fast. Order a salad. Don’t eat carbs. You need to lose weight. Go on a diet. God, you look like a skeleton. Why don’t you just eat? You look sick. Eat a burger. Men like women with some meat on their bones. Be light. Be little. Be petite. Be feminine."
To be truthful it made me feel sick, as these are the messages that I've heard for the last 46 years and my girls are hearing every day now. They are not new messages, but it is time for them to stop.
Girls, women, ladies, call us what you will. We are people, just like men are and as such we deserve to live our lives as freely as men do.
We can be who we want to be.
We can look and dress in a way that pleases us.
We do not have to conform.
We do not have to live up to your standards.
We have value and worth without doing anything.
We are lovable and likeable.
We are so much more than a body.
We deserve respect.
We are unique, every last one of us and that is exactly how God meant it to be.
Be a Lady They Said from Paul McLean on Vimeo.
It's so difficult, even the most robust of us can let these messages infiltrate us, make us second guess ourselves and start to question if we're OK?
And our world today encourages us to do just that - fix what we're not OK with - go for surgery, take a diet drug, use a filter, buy some likes, rent a boyfriend. Everything is on tap and it is all so easy to obtain if you have the money or are willing to sell your soul.
But I urge you to say no.
Say no for yourself and for your daughters, and granddaughters to come. Teach those girls to listen to their gut, to know that inside them is power. They are powerful and they have the talent and ability to make all the right decisions in their life and to be their own person. No need to fit in, or try to be liked. When you are true to yourself and kind with it, it shines and the world wants to be your friend, and if they don't? Well, their loss. They were not worth your time anyway.
Kiss your girls as they go to bed tonight and let them know you see them. You really see them - you see their hopes, dreams, beautiful traits and natural abilities.
Let's do our bit as parents to mitigate the negative messages they receive, almost 24/7.
 |
| Miss M - a fierce friend, hates injustice, kind, generous, loving, beautiful singing voice, natural linguist, friendly, fun, compassionate, confident, caring, loyal, trusting, sincere, nurturing and lively. |
