Glennon Doyle Melton is an activist, speaker, author, and mom-of-three who, growing up, suffered from body image issues as well as an eating disorder.
When her 10-year-old daughter Tish asked her, “Mama, the other girls are all skinny. Why am I different?” It dredged up a lot of her former emotions and struggles.
But she wasn’t about to let her little girl suffer as she sat her down and gave her an empowering pep talk and penned a heartfelt essay on her blog.
“We talked about all the messages girls get about staying small and quiet and competitive and how that’s all horseshit meant to keep girls weak and separate from each other, so we can’t join forces and lead,” Melton writes. “We talked about how hard and wonderful it is to have a body, and we talked about what, exactly, bodies are for. I did my best.”
After their talk, Melton brought her daughter to the bookstore where they found a magazine rack filled with covers of seemingly emaciated women flaunting the latest fashions.
It was there where she continued teaching her daughter that a woman’s worth is so much more than her waistline or as a means to sell things.
“That’s why this feels bad to you,” Melton told her daughter. “Because this is a lie. There’s nothing wrong with you baby. There’s something wrong with this.”
A few days later, Melton was blown away by the effect their talk had on young Tish.
The 10-year-old presented her with a petition urging magazines to show authentic beauty regardless of appearance or body type, saying:
“Dear world,
This is a petition to show that I, Tish Melton, strongly feel that magazines should not show beauty is most important on the outside. It is not. I think magazines should show girls who are strong, kind, brave, thoughtful, unique, and show women of all different types of hair and bodies,” she writes. “ALL women [should] be treated EQUALLY.”
Her mom then took a photo and shared it on her blog and Instagram.
As parents, it’s not just our words that have an effect on our children but also our actions and the way we treat ourselves. Inspiring them can only be achieved once we–ourselves–are empowered.
READ: Teen magazine criticized for ‘inappropriate’ swimsuit spread for young girls
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