Girls become women: Breaking social norms – how to do it

Read this: How to talk to little girls

At younger and younger ages, girls are (overly) body conscious, so much so that they worry about getting fat at age three… yes, three. With so many unrealistic social messages about women’s bodies, it’s no wonder we have an issue with unrealistic body expectations.

We (“Western” nations, particularly the US) live in a society where women are often judged and judge themselves by what they look like. We need to do everything that we can to subvert and change socially prescribed conversation topics. We need to change the way that women view their bodies (and the way that men view women). What we tell our children early on and what they hear us say about ourselves and others, really does matter. The earlier we start, the more likely we can make lasting change.

All of the above links are important to read. To get started making this social change, this is a particularly relevant primer on how to talk to little girls. (I really do think it’s how we should be talking with any kid or person – engage the mind and their interests…). Please take the time to read it – it’s important information.

I went to a dinner party at a friend’s home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time. Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted…

via How to Talk to Little Girls.

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” – Gandhi