Pretty is as pretty does.

Recently, I've been thinking about raising my daughter to love herself in this crazy messed up world, where kids are looking up to models and seeing pictures like this:

This is Kate Moss.  I post this picture because she looks crazy skinny and not at all like the average person in our world.  I know nothing about Kate Moss other than that she is a fashion model and that she is a very thin person.  To give her the benefit of the doubt, I will not make any guesses of why she is so thin, there could be something wrong and it's not my place to judge.  HOWEVER, I do not want my daughter to think that this is NORMAL.  

When I was growing up, my mom always said to me "Pretty is as pretty does."   I didn't really get it as a child, but now that I do, I totally agree.  It seems our society focuses on what people look like entirely too much.  This is not to say that being fit, eating healthy and being active is not something that I want for my family.  It is.  I just do not believe that looks should be our focus.  Audrey Hepburn said this about women and I like it.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years. - Audrey Hepburn

This morning, while looking at my local new's website, I came across a story of a guy, who decided to take the average US 19  year old female body measurements from the CDC and create a more realistic looking Barbie doll.  When I watched the video below, I LOVED it.  Now this, is what I want my daughter to play with.  I am thinking I need to go out and buy them as soon as they hit the market in case they don't sell well and they aren't available before my Kate is old enough to want to play with Barbies.  Make sure to watch the video below to see more.  




I like the "average" looking 19 year old.  I was her when I was 19.  
I feel like my job as a girl mom is to teach her to love herself the way that she is, to not look at pictures of models and think that is what body image we should strive to accomplish.  I want her to look at strong people, fit people, average people, and know that this is what normal looks like.  I hope that she realizes that "pretty is as pretty does" and that as long as she is HAPPY and HEALTHY, that is all that matters.  

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