How To Address Tough Issues AndBuild Girls’ Self-Esteem Pressure: A National Report on (NAPSA)—Girls today are fac- ing increasing pressure to doit all— and do it perfectly—which is stressing them out and causing the State of Self-Esteem (Dove, 2008) revealed. Tip: If you find your daughter is participating in cyberbullying (by bullying or being bullied), do not ignore it, thinking it is harmless. Talk to your daughter about how it feels and let her know you their self-esteem to plummet. Parents can make a difference by helping girls navigate difficult issues around body image, boys and the pressure to do well in school. While the top wish among girls is for their parents to communicate better with them, according to Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem (Dove, 2008), many parents just do not know how to start the conversation. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund, established as part of the Cam- paign for Real Beauty, is committed to reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010 with self-esteem building programming. That is why it has collaborated with Jess Weiner, best- selling author and self-esteem expert, to create tips to help par- ents tackle some of the toughest subjects that teen girls face today. 1. Supergirl Syndrome: Girls may respond to the pressure around them from school, media, parents and peers by trying to do it all (look perfect, get good grades and have a busysocial life) and do it all perfectly. Tip: Encourage your daughter to find her favorite one or two activi- ties and focus on doing them well, rather than being the very best at everything. Set an example for her by doing the samethingin yourlife. 2. Body Image Breakdown: When girls feel bad about their looks, more than 70 percent age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activi- understand it hurts. If your daughter is engaging in cyberbul- lying, talk to her about how it feels to be on the receiving end and ask her what is making her do this. If you find your daughter “Self-esteem can be a tough sub- is being victimized, remind her and other role models to talk to girls and get involved. Every person has the power to help girls gain confidence and reach their full potential."—Jess Weiner, Global Ambassadorfor the Dove Self-Esteem Fund control her reactionstoit. 4, Frenemies: Frenemies are defined as relationships in which girls behave as half friends and half ject to discuss, but it is more important than ever for parents ties such as attending school, going to the doctor or even giving their opinion, as Beyond Stereotypes: Rebuilding the Foundation of Beauty Beliefs (Dove, 2006) revealed. that while she cannot always control what is said in school, she can enemies. Self-esteem plays a crucial role in determininga girl’s tendency to engagein this type of behavior. Tip: Talk to your daughterreg- ularly and let her know you are aware of things that go on in school. Encourage her to walk away from a friendship that harms her and makeotherfriends. 5. Clashing with Cliques: Tip: Your daughter’s body From jocks and geeks to drama each and every day how great you feel about your body and your looks—you will build the foundation for how she sees her body and are rampant in middle school and high school. image starts with you. Show her queens and cheerleaders, cliques Tip: Help your daughter recog- the importance of how she looks. nize that being authentic is better than any label out there. of vulnerable girls. More than one in ten girls age 8 to 17 have been bullied online Real Girls, Real self-esteem building tools for girls, moms and mentors. 3. Cyberbullying: The Internet has become an additional platform for the teasing and taunting Every person can makea difference in thelife of girls. To learn more, visit campaignforrealbeauty. com, where you can download free
