Let's wear Self Esteem {#DoveInspired}

  A few weeks ago I wrote about Confidence. Something that took me a while to get back after becoming a mom. Then on the first of this month, I wrote a post about 10 year old me. When I look back, age 10 was a magical year. The last year I liked who was looking at me in the mirror. The last year that I knew nothing about the words "fat" and "chubby". Age 10 was the beginning of a long journey with my weight and my looks. Fortunately for me I have come full circle.   I'm sure that you are well aware that self esteem issues are alive and well. Young girls are growing up in a critical time. Can you imagine going through puberty on Facebook. I'm sick at the thought.   Dove, the company that makes hair and skin care products did some research of their own. In an effort to empower young girls and women, they are uncovering the truths about self esteem today. I'm not surprised at the results.   Dove® research shows that it is still important for us to address girls' anxiety about looks, as there is a universal increase in beauty pressure and a decrease in girls' confidence as they grow older. Key findings from our latest research include:   • Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful (up from 2% in 2004) • Only 11% of girls globally are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves • 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful • 80% of women agree that every woman has something about her that is beautiful but do not see their own beauty • More than half (54%) of women globally agree that when it comes to how they look, they are their own worst beauty critic   SOURCE: Dove Research: The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited   Let's be honest, were any of us in that 11% growing up? What many of us find, now as adults, is that we were beautiful back then. We weren't as fat as we thought we were. The braces weren't so bad. That zit was't as bad as it seemed. I saw a picture from my 8th grade dance and thought, your hair looks great, and you weren't fat at all. Ever have a moment like that?   All jokes aside, isn't it time to embrace self esteem as a right and not a privilege?   As a mother I have so many jobs, so many hats that I wear. I want to make sure that I'm helping my girls build their self esteem in positive ways. Sure I tell them that they are beautiful and precious, but I also want them to embrace who they are. They look so different, but equally beautiful. My goal is to teach them that what makes them different is what makes them beautiful.   Let's inspire ourselves and the young women around us to wear Confidence. Not just today, but everyday. We Tweet our favorite skinny jeans. We pin and re-pin images of outfits that inspire. We even watch hair tutorials for the perfect sock bun. Why not tweet, inpire, and pin Self Esteem?   Let's get this conversation started. Let's talk Self Esteem.

    To start this conversation Dove is making it easier for us. We can start by downloading the Let's Talk Tool Kit. Created with Jess Weiner, Dove Global Self-Esteem Ambassador, this is a great resource for all women on starting a conversation in a simple way. Ask, Share, Listen and Act -- you’ll find unintimidating ways to do make these a natural part of your talk about Self-Esteem.   You can also visit Dove on Facebook. Share your commitment to girls’ self-esteem with your friends on Facebook! Visit Dove’s Facebook Page or use the Send a Note of Confidence Link to select your message and share with your friends.   Follow Dove on Twitter For updates, ideas, and articles outlining their Let's Talk Campaign. New ideas for empowering young women with confidence and strength.   Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Colors and creeds. Embracing our differences is what makes us beautiful. But it can also make us powerful. Share your own stories of self esteem with the young girls in your life. Tell them all the things you wish you knew about yourself when you were their age. You never know, they just may need to hear about that bad perm from 5th grade.         A big thanks to Dove for sponsoring this post. All content provided via the Let's Talk Campaign. However all opinions are my own.