I know I’m not the only mama who feels this way, the only one who isn’t willing to raise my daughter to settle for impossible standards that are somehow set by a distorted, broken world. There are many of us, an army even. And we have two choices when it comes to how we respond on behalf of our girls.
We can mope and moan and decry the injustices of society, resigning ourselves to raising daughters that will struggle with their bodies and their beauty as they grow up amidst the corruption and lies. We can feed the beast by funding their trashy clothing and spray tans and plastic surgery. We can “help” them fit in by making fashion forwardness the utmost priority. We can hate our own selves so loudly that we teach our daughters to believe beauty is only skin deep and that the worst thing in the world would be to grow up and look like Mom.
Or.
We can revolt. Together. We can celebrate our daughters’ uniqueness and individuality and innocence and effectively shut down the culture that desperately longs to prey on them. We can quit buying 11-year-olds sexy clothing and shorts that leave nothing to the imagination, and we can teach our girls that life is way more fun when you’re not overly concerned with appearances.
We can remind them that what’s most important is to be strong and healthy, because one day their able bodies are going to take them amazing places. Oh, and we can definitely quit using terms like skinny and fat and thigh gap. We can teach them that food is meant to nourish and equip, but that it’s also here to enjoy and indulge in every so often.
Can you even imagine if our daughters could maintain a healthy relationship with food?
We can remind them that it’s not a bad thing if boys aren’t interested in them right now, because boys are complicated and fickle and not worth their time until later in life. As a mom of two boys, I say this with some authority.
No, the world won’t destroy my daughter. I’m choosing to believe that she has what it takes to walk through her formidable years differently than I did, and I am going to be there to cheer her on, encouraging her to be her own, awesome, unique self all the way.
Want to join me?
XO — Jordan
For more from Jordan, follow Feel Free to Laugh on Facebook!
