A colleague of mine posted this video on Facebook earlier this week. It struck me in a couple ways. First off, the little girl in the video looks like she could be my daughter. So she immediately caught my attention. Then, there is the matter at hand: how little girls see themselves and beauty in our culture. It is sad and scary. Lastly, this video made me realize how passionate I am about being part of the solution, not the problem of how beauty is defined in our culture.

Given my job, I have the power to perpetuate the ideals of beauty based on outward appearances or create a new paradigm in which beauty is defined by your inner AND outer strength, power and grace. I choose the latter.

The same day I saw the above video, my client, Kimball, posted this video on Facebook:

This is Kimball’s daughter, Clare, a second grader, at her first track meet. Clare won 3rd place. You see her there racing with all her heart and all her might. True, innocent beauty.

This is how I would like little girls to define beauty. Beauty is what is attained when one pushes to achieve and grow and inspire others.

Below Clare’s video, Kimball posted this comment:
“I have done many things to show my love, dedication and encouragement of my children. Sitting in the rain (sometimes pouring) in 40 degree weather for a 2+hour track meet was one of them. But seeing the expression on Clare’s face when she ran up with that ribbon made it 100% worth it.”

Clare doesn’t know it, but that ribbon impacted her her body, mind and soul. She pushed herself to achieve. She was strong and powerful and graceful. That is beauty.

Think about how you define beauty in your families, especially if you have daughters. Equally important is how you model beauty. Do your children see you embrace yourself and take pride in your strength as a mom, as a parent, as a wife? Do you show them you are strong and powerful by working out and eating well?

Or. . . Do they see you looking in the mirror commenting on how fat you feel? Do they see you “rewarding” yourself with unhealthy foods? Do they see you idolizing supermodels and Hollywood barbies? Really think about how this impacts their perspective.

As you can see in the Dove video, our little girls are overwhelmed with body image messages. You are one of only a few people who can remold that paradigm for them. This is no small undertaking.

For those of you who sweat in front of your kids, who get up pre-dawn and go to Boot Camp, who run the track during the kids soccer practice, who never negate your body in front of your kids, who reward yourself with new shoes instead of chocolate cake, WAY TO GO! You are redefining beauty for our daughters. It is no small task. But a little effort everyday can make a big difference over time.

Look at your life and figure out how you can give yourself and your daughters “blue ribbons”. Become the epitome of beauty: strong, powerful and graceful, so that your daughter will too. The gift of true beauty could be the best gift you ever give her.

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