Mother-Daughter Body Image and Self-Esteem

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

Designed for: Females grades 5 and up, and their mothers or female guardians

According to many American women of all ages, the winner would be the thinnest of them all. By fourth grade, 4 out of 5 girls are on diets; as they grow up, 13% of teenagers practice some form of binge-purge behavior and 19 out of 20 women think they are fatter than they really are, even when they are at a normal weight. Our culture’s obsession with thinness has put women and girls into a crisis that is detrimental to their physical and emotional health. It is never too soon to address this issue.

In this workshop, mothers and daughters work together to define realistic vs. unrealistic body image. In separate groups, the girls explore the impact that media, culture, family and friends have on what we consider to be physical beauty. Mothers discuss how their own attitudes and behavior affect the body image of their children. Signs and symptoms of common eating disorders are discussed. Specific visualization and affirmation exercises are presented along with a discussion about the roles of nutrition, exercise, stress control, and support in increasing self-esteem and health.

Our goals are to help participants:

• Create a personal definition of health and beauty.
• Identify messages received about beauty from the media, family and friends
• Understand the basics about eating disorders and learn how to help a friend
• Name healthy practices that contribute to a positive self-image and a healthy body.

Average length of program: 90 minutes

Recommended number of participants: 5-10 mother-daughter pairs