Thintervention

Let's pretend you have a daughter (or maybe you already do)... Eventually that little girl is going to say, "I want to be just like _________ when I grow up!" (If you are lucky they will say YOU)... Now, what are that chances that she will fill in that blank with names like Brandi Chastain, Laila Ali, Gina Carano, Holly Holm, Venus or Serena Williams, or Allison Stokke? Chances are, unless you read her fitness and sports magazines before bed every night or ESPN is the only channel on your T.V... she probably has no idea who any of these women are, and most likely neither do you! All those women by the way, happen to be on a list called "15 Female Athletes That Could Snap You Like A Twig"... And they are all beautiful... Just sayin. It is more than likely that your young daughter would come back with a reply like "Hannah Montanna, Lady Gaga, Ashley Tisdale, or some other pop star or 20 year old playing a 12 year old on the Disney Channel. The fact is, the media plays such a huge role in our lives today that it's hard to escape it, and unless you can explain to girls that those stick thin models in ads, commercials, on billboards and the cover of magazines, are not what healthy women look like... then they are receiving very mixed messages. I'm not saying that the media is the devil or that you should boycott T.V, because in the world we live in today, it is impossible to escape the media. Technology and the media have done many things in society that are positive, but there are also negative sides, just as there is in every aspect of life. When young girls are constantly exposed to images of models that are too thin and pop stars that are wearing too little clothing and too much makeup, that is what they are going to aspire to be whether it happens consciously or unconsciously, which is why issues of anorexia, bulimia, and poor body image and low self-worth are more common among young females now more than ever. This can be stopped with a little intervention from a parent, a positive female role model, or anyone that cares to take the time to tell a little girl that strong, healthy girls grow up to be the most beautiful women. 

<3 Health and Happiness