Beyonce offered a powerful look into the mind of many women with her song “Pretty Hurts.”  She sings “Mama said, “You’re a pretty girl. What’s in your head, it doesn’t matter Brush your hair, fix your teeth. What you wear is all that matters.”  I’m not saying that every women is raised to believe this but many have. Pushing our self esteem issues onto our children is a powerful thing.  We tell our girls what not “good” about themselves.  We focus on hair. Is it long and thick?  Does it have the right wave patten?  We focus on weight and size.  We push our own size issue onto the next generation.  Many of us do this unknowingly.  It’s done in how we address ourselves in front of our children.  Comments like “I look so fat in this” or “I need to lose weight, I’m so ugly.”  Our children see & hear how we treat ourselves and start treating themselves the same way.  How could a child every feel pretty when they know the person they look just alike doesn’t like the way they look.  Often times focusing on girls we forget out boys.  It’s important to note we tell our boys what to value as beautiful.

Dove has a short film they just released out called “Legacy”.  In the short Dove ask 5 pair of mothers and daughters to write a separate lists of what they like and don’t like about themselves.  My of the daughters were found the same body issues that their mother had with themselves.

Dove is asking women who they #FeelBeautifulFor .  This is Dove’s campaign for their 5th Self Esteem Weekend happening October 9 – 12.  The women of this generation should stop at ask ourselves “What beauty standards are we leaving our children?”

See the Dove Legacy short here.