Let’s Stop These Unhealthy Body Image Messages From Brainwashing Our Daughters #StopDietainment
Children are sponges, this is a talent they are pretty much born with. They absorb everything they see and tuck it away till they see an opportunity to bring it out. I remember when a friend of mine was working in daycare, she said you can see through the child exactly how the parents act. That was the first time I actually heard that before. I was a new mother and I had not really thought about how my reaction would influence my child, or how much of a sponge they really were.
This whole parenting gig doesn’t come with a set of manuals that help you raise the “perfect” child. But there are somethings you come across in society that just make you shake your head. Things we automatically should already know that aren’t okay for our children to absorb.
Any parent should know that visually showing our children pictures like the ones above, will one day cripple their mind. We don’t need a parenting manual to show us that repeatedly showing these images to our little girls and boys is brainwashing them for a future of struggle.
Fact!
65% of the population are visual learners.
Visual data is processed 60,000 times faster by the brain than text.
Knowing these facts, how can we continue to let these publications brainwash our children’s mind? How can we as parents sit back and say it’s okay to take away my child’s uniqueness and spoil it with your version of perfection?
These are questions I continue to ask myself and apparently I was not alone.
What is Dietainment?
Earlier this year Multi-Grain Cheerios said that was enough and wants you to see how these unhealthy body image messages disguised as harmless entertainment, are having a serious impact on kids across Canada. To help bring awareness and attention to this issue, they gave this harmful content a name – Dietainment.
Let’s understand Dietainment together with this quick video:
The first time I watched that video my heart sank to the ground. I have a little girl who will be 10 next year, the same age of some of these girls. I don’t want her to be worrying about dieting, being skinny. I want her to grow up feeling proud of who she is and knowing that each one of us is different and unique. I want my daughter to know that looking great all starts with how incredible you feel inside.
Be An Unstoppable Mother
My views on this topic haven’t changed over the years. I have always been an advocate of being confident in your own skin. In spring of 2013 I wrote this as a guest post for YummyMummyClub.ca
“Long before peer pressure kicks in, a Mother’s behavior shapes who our daughters are and who she will become. It all starts with a great role model at home standing tall in front of your little girls. I vow to be successful role model to my daughter, by looking in the mirror and complimenting the woman smiling back at me. I am very clear and careful on the words I use making sure she knows how proud I am of who I am looking back at. Although at times I feel uncomfortable with my mid-section (after 4 pregnancies that is expected) I have never used a describing word about myself I would never feel proud to hear her use.”
Take A Walk In Your Child’s Shoes
I took a walk into my child’s shoes this weekend to see what type of unhealthy body image messages were thrown at her. We went to the grocery store and waited in a long line up at checkout that was lined with publications visually telling her that short skirts, bikinis and diets are exactly what she needs. I listened to someone put herself down about how fat they were, at the same time I saw my daughter’s expression change as she sunk deep, shoulder shrugged.
Be The Change: Sign The Petition
Right away I came home and joined the cause by signing a petition to stop this brainwashing and create a world without dieting for our next generation. By signing this petition I hope the Canada media industry will take the first step and commit to stop exposing Dietainment to young girls.
Hurry up and be the change, sign the petition today, visit: worldwithoutdieting.ca
Thank you for reading In R Dream!
Disclosure: I am taking part in the #StopDietainment campaign with Multi-Grain Cheerios, with the intention to bring this important subject to the surface. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Models struggle everyday with challenges over food and weight!
It’s so true how seeing role models can affect a girl(woman’s) image and want to be slim. It’s very important that Girls be shown that it is ok to not be skinny and to eat right, exercise and be healthy.
I agree entirely, these models fight every day to keep from adding a pound or two. The extra pound or two wouldn’t make them a worse person but the firms they model for think it makes them useless. I have never understood why firms think that we all want to have the body of a model, we all know that for most of us that’s just impossible but still they try to force this perfect body image on us. It’s time for a change, Dove started a few years back but I don’t think anybody else does it ie choose everyday women to promote their products.