Is it really true that teenage girls + media = low self-esteem?

The issue of media's impact on teenagers has generated a lot of interest in the
last decade. Despite contradictory findings, all researchers agree that teenage
girls as a group are focused on their looks—especially on what they don’t like
about themselves! Marketing departments and ad agencies spend millions each year
targeting teenage girls who spend much of their hard-earned dollars (and their
parents’ hard-earned dollars!) on looking good. Although the message of “girl
power” is prevalent in today's marketing messages, so is the irrefutable idea
that “sexy” and “thin” are in!

The dieting industry alone generates 40 billion dollars per year in America. If
you believe diets are just for adults, you will be shocked to learn that a
Harvard study (Fat Talk, Harvard University Press) published in 2000 revealed
that 86% of teenage girls are on a diet or believe they should be on one. Diets
are common among both teens and children. According to the National Eating
Disorders Association, 51% of 9 and 10-year-old girls actually feel better about
themselves when on a diet. As a society, our obsession with thin is relatively
new. Most people (especially teens) are shocked to find that sex icon Marilyn
Monroe actually wore a size 14!

But pick up a fashion magazine today and you'll find models who are thinner than
98% of all the girls and women in America. Turn on a television and see 'sexy'
celebrities such as Shania Twain, Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson baring
their flesh. It is these role models who have become the standard of what is in
vogue in the twenty-first century.

Do Teenage Girls have Low Self-esteem because of Media?

One of the most fascinating shows on self-image for teens was aired on Discovery
Channel’s “Sex Files” program (Episode 12: Girl Power). During the show, they
reported on eating disorders on the island of Fiji. In 1995, this tropical
paradise had only 3 percent of girls with eating disorders in 1995.

Then western television programs were introduced, including “hits” such as ER,
Melrose Place and Xena: Warrior Princess. Three years later, the eating
disorders in girls on the island rose to 15%. A surprising follow-up study
reported 74% of Fijian girls feeling “too fat or big” and 62% had dieted in the
last month—surprising in a culture that typically upholds curvaceous women as
beautiful.

Five Ways to Ensure Media Does Not Contribute To Low Self-esteem in Teenage
Girls

Fortunately, parents have a huge impact on a teenage girl’s self-esteem—more so
than even the media. Thus, there is much we as parents can do to ensure our
teenage girls' self-esteem soars! Here are five helpful parenting tips:

1. Encourage and Support Your Daughter’s Achievements and Passions. Focus
on what it is that your teenage daughter is good at. If she enjoys math, animals
or singing, support her. Acknowledge the presence of pretty girls in the media
with, “Obviously outward beauty is one of her gifts. You’ve got many gifts
yourself!” Then name these gifts as well as you can.

2. Help your Daughter Get in Touch with Reality. We are bombarded with
perfect idealized models of what a woman should look like. But the fact is less
than 1% of the girls out there will ever become a super model. Besides, no one
can compete with computer airbrushing! Share these facts with your daughter. And
please note that if you are complaining about your own “thunder thighs”, this
message is going straight to your daughter’s heart. Make a commitment to raise
your own self-image. No one, including you, is perfect. It is our imperfections
that actually make us human. Having the courage to be imperfect makes our life
easier and much more joyful.

3. Focus on a Healthy Lifestyle – The less junk food you keep around the
house, the less you and your family will eat it! Do you and your family a
favor—stock up on the healthy stuff and refrain from insisting on second
helpings. If the scale in your home is a bit of an obsession, consider tossing
it out. Instead focus on how well and how healthy each of you feels instead.

4. Contribute to Others – Our preoccupation with our own weight can be
positively transformed when we start focusing on others. Volunteerism boosts
self-esteem. Volunteer as a family, bring a smile to others, and you'll all be
reminded of how truly fortunate you are.

5. Encourage Dad to Pay Attention in a Positive Way – Help Dad understand
how detrimental well intentioned teasing about weight or looks can be. Encourage
him to spend time with his daughter focusing on all the things that she is great
at.

It is sad that many teenage girls and women believe that they need to be someone
other than who they truly are. It is time to come clean for ourselves, for the
race of woman and for our children, by beginning to love the person we are—flaws
and all. Embracing our imperfection gives us the opportunity to see all the
awesome things about ourselves: to acknowledge that we do have nice eyes, nice
breasts, nice legs, nice whatever! And as we stop hiding our flaws, suddenly our
psychological zits will become the beauty marks that make us stand out from the
crowd.