What are we saying to our daughters.....

I overheard the girls talking with one another the other day….one tells the other, “you know, little girls don’t have hair underneath their arms. Mommies do, so they need to shave because girls aren’t suppose to have hair on their arms.”

"Ooohh…that’s gross!”~the other chimes in. 

Interesting that this conversation also took place the same week that another asked me why I shave my legs and curiously asked me if she could one day shave her legs too.  “Sure, one day” I replied. That answer seemed to satisfy her curiosity, so we left it at that.

Innocent questions. 

However, after reading this shocking and disturbing article it got me thinking about the messages we might unknowingly send to our captivated little girls who are watching mommy and forming their own ideas about what a woman's body "should" look like.

My first thought after reading this article was, “are you kidding me!  A boob job is one thing, but giving a gift certificate for a FUTURE boob job to a 7 year old who hasn’t even hit puberty…absurd!!! What is she thinking?” 

While it’s so easy to judge this mom, as I thought about what must have been going through her mind, I had a shift of emotions. I went from outrage to anger to sadness.  This poor mom must have a very low view of self, so much so that she is passing on her own insecurities to a daughter who hasn’t even lived long enough to develop yet. It’s really sad when you think about it.

While most of us might find this mother's actions very disturbing, it did get me thinking about the negative self images we all carry in one form or another and how we may be unconsciously passing those on to our girls….something to really think about.