"Anorexic." That is the one word that was constantly whispered to describe me. No matter how quiet they thought they were being, I heard them. I ate and still eat more than most. "Her hair is nappy." I heard that one also. "She can't wear that lipstick, her lips are TOO big," said as I walked on by. Back then the sticks and stones never hurt but their words almost did break me.
I am a thin woman still, now just with child bearing hips. Lucky me. I have fun hair. Jealous much? Red, orange and even hot pink, I wear every shade imaginable on my big full lips that some can only dream of. I'm not sure if I outgrew the criticism or if I just chose to be deaf to them but I am beautiful. No really. I am a beautiful woman and am ashamed that I didn't always believe it to be so. It is a shame that we are drilled to think we are "supposed" to look a certain way at an early age. 72% of girls (ages 10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful. As a mother to a little girl and with my experience, it scares me. More than half of girls globally say their mother is their #1 female role model and that is exactly what I intend to do. This weekend, Dove with Girls, Inc, Girls Scouts and Boys & Girls Club, kicked off their 3rd annual self esteem weekend in NYC with events taking place across the US. Join in on the conversation here and here. Don't worry, we may have missed the events but the most important one is the role you aim to play from this day forward. Let her know, that every curve and curl is exactly where it is suppose to be. We are exactly who we are supposed to be.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Dove and Latina Blogger Connect. The words, self love and finally self acceptance is all my own honey. *add finger snaps for effect*
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