Hey everybody, welcome back to my blog! Recently I've been doing some research on the connection between fashion and self esteem, and in turn have learned a lot about this issue vast amounts of people deal with everyday. I've highlighted the basic things I believe EVERYBODY need to know about body image in the four categories below.

The Basic Statistics: 

• Among high school students, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are attempting to lose weight.
• 80% of children who are 10 years old are afraid of being fat. 
• • 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful 

The Causes: 

• Society And the Media: The pictures teens see in magazines, on TV, and online can have huge effects on the adolescent's self esteem. These advertisements often set unrealistic beauty standards that teens feel they cannot live up to.
• Bullying: When someone is bullied, it can make it hard for them to make friends, reach out to people, and focus in school. Bullying can also cause depression or suicidal thoughts in its victims.

The Consequences:

Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks

• 13 percent of girls age 15-17 acknowledge having an eating disorder.
• About 20% of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood

How YOU Can Make A Difference: 

Even though the things you've just learned about self esteem & it's effects are very common across the world, there is a lot we can do together to reverse this problem. Here are some awesome ideas that may even inspire you to start your own project! 

• Leave positive, encouraging post-it notes around where lots of people may see them! Here are some cute examples that were placed on bathroom mirrors!
  
  
  
  
• Appreciate all body types. The media often uses very underweight women as their models. But we all know that there a ton of other body types that aren't at all represented in the media. Everybody was beautifully and fearfully made, so why not celebrate all of our unique bodies!

My Sources:

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem

http://www.heartofleadership.org/statistics-on-body-image-self-esteem-parental-influence/

http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Statistics.aspx

http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/research.php

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/me-we/201312/10-sources-low-self-esteem

A Doll.. That Looks Normal??

As many of you have seen, lately there has been a huge push for a healthy sized doll to replace the Barbie's infamous and unattainable figure.

 

Meet Lammily, the creation of artist Nickolay Lamm. 

This lovely lady was created with the exact same proportions as the average 19 year old american woman. She is healthy, fit and radiant. How about that for a childhood icon? Creator, Lamm, says that:

"I just wanted her to look like a typical young woman walking down the street. But I left the actual dimensions ambiguous because I don't want to set a new standard."

And the best part? Lamm was inspired to make this doll after talking to his little cousin, who was so ashamed of her body that she was afraid to put on a swimsuit. Who knows if this project will make any lasting effect on his cousin's self esteem, but it will surely impact future young boys and girls who play with this adorable doll.

As a girl in recovery from an eating disorder, this gives me hope. People are finally waking up and realizing what we're doing to ourselves. Let's all just join hands and pray that this is a small step on a long journey towards a  more human friendly environment.

I challenge artists and people who have the time and resources to make such things;

Remember the boys.

This, lady & gents, is He-Man. 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does this not also promote a COMPLETELY unattainable body type,

JUST LIKE Barbie? How about we get a lanky superhero without rock hard abs & a killer jawline. I'd love to hear what you guys think about the development of a better Barbie in the comments! 

xoxo,

Grace