Today for the Blog every in May Challenge we are to write about something that is troubling us in the world today.
I often fret about raising two girls in today's society. I, for one, feel incredibly lucky to have been raised in a time prior to the internet as we now know it. I'm glad I didn't have to endure junior high and high school during the Facebook era.
I also worry about how my girls will handle any body issues they may develop. Fake perfection permeates todays media and culture. I want my girls to love their bodies as they are; I pray they will be comfortable in their own skin.
“Our country is replete with an unprecedented number of young girls suffering from eating disorders and body mutilation, while pushing the limits of sexual promiscuity. Is this racy underwear modeled by unrealistically thin girls really the best that we have to offer our girls? In this age when female sex trafficking is becoming a wide-spread crisis, reaching into the depths of our inner cities, is it really responsible for Victoria’s Secret to entice our impressionable young girls with this “come hither” message?
Underwear that reads, “Call me” does nothing but cheapen a girl’s self-esteem while exacerbating the objectification of her God-given femininity. Our children are being objectified by retailers who see them as nothing more than a path to increased profits.”-Amy Gerwing
We live in an era where a leaked sex tape can make you famous and an instant millionaire. I want my girls to admire women like Maya Angelou, Helen Keller, Marie Curie, and Jane Austen not Kim Kardashian.
Did you know that globally, more than 200 million girls in our world have been aborted or abandoned? Many who survive such gendercide face neglect, violence and even sex trafficking. Because they are a GIRL. I worry what kind of message this will send to my girls. That they aren't worthy because they are lacking a penis?
Steve Biddulph, is a celebrated parenting author has recently written a book called Raising Girls. He states that "Never before has girlhood been under such a sustained assault." Unfortunately, I fear he is correct. Young girls have become a soft target for big business; where marketing campaigns often propogate messages that accenuate female sexualized imagery. According to Steve everywhere a young girl goes she "sees messages that make her feel that she is not good enough."
That my friends is troublesome to me as a parent. I will continue to do my best to raise my daughters in a way that places value on their intelligence, abilities and uniqueness. I pray it's enough.
