Im Now a Dove Girl

Ive never bought Dove products before, but Im going to start.

Anyone who knows me, knows Ive not always conformed to the mainstream concept of beauty. Stick thin waifs with fake boobs, a mystic tan, and a head full of bleach blonde hair extentions will never make my, "Wow, she's gorgeous" list. In fact, like most realistic women, I have come to hate the Hollywood/Media machine that takes talented beautiful women and turns them into Britney Spears or Lindsey Lohan.

I once had a friend,...who married another one of my friends - and they'll remain nameless. He became addicted to porn. Porn in all mediums that escalated to the break up of their marriage. His reason for leaving his wife and two children? "She wasnt good enough." The standard by which he was measuring his wife was a Porn Star. The perfect hairless body, the perfect fake ta-tas, the perfectly fake sexual experiences. To him, a woman should be, act, and look like the actresses, (using that term VERY loosely - no pun intended...hahaha), in porn films. I think society, the entertainment industry, and the media are doing the same thing. Creating these fake, unrealistic goals of what a woman should look like...most of us fall short and are being taught to be ashamed of it.

Check out this video: http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/ I love that Dove has put this together...and put it out there for everyone to see. Plus the Self-Esteem project is just what I think young girls need these days. If I had a ton o' money, I would put together a similar project. I think low self-esteem in pre-teen and teenage girls is an epidemic. I mostly certainly know, (partially by experience), that it is a pathway to drugs, eating disorders, self-image distortions, and a poor judgement and problem solving. Particularly when it comes to men. Imagine if some of those poor choices and self-hatred could be untaught? Or warded off all together? Imagine what an intelligent, confident young woman would not have to overcome if she didnt buy into the "Im not good enough" cult?

I am hoping I can instill those exact values in my own daughter. Spending her life comparing herself to her own goals and gifts and not those fake concepts of beauty and worthiness set forth by those around her. Believing in herself. That would be a beautiful thing.