What to Do When Girls Are Ashamed of Their Bodies
Perhaps you’ve seen teenage girls that hide behind their clothing, wearing baggy garments because they’re ashamed of their bodies. Whether they’re skinny or not, it’s important to understand that this kind of behavior has to do with low self-esteem. It also reveals how social stereotypes can negatively affect females and affect their ability to be happy.
Fear of putting on a swimsuit
Some girls are reluctant to go to the pool or the beach, and it has nothing to do with a fear of water. Rather, it’s because they’re ashamed of their bodies and don’t want to put on a swimsuit. They think everyone will examine their bodies and reject them. However, in reality, the problem has nothing to do with other people, but rather a young girl’s inability to accept her own body.
When they go to the pool or the beach, these girls feel like only skinny girls with good bodies can wear swimsuits. Society has taught our daughters to be ashamed of bodies that are less than perfect in any way. We’ve taught them to be afraid of putting on a swimsuit. We can’t blame young women for their insecurities. Rather, we have to reexamine the messages that continuously come from the media, trying to make us believe we have to be perfect.
As a result, many young girls and women feel bad about themselves when they see themselves in bathing suits. They don’t feel comfortable with their adult female bodies.
When summer rolls around, the media sends out reminders of how women need to lose weight and get in shape for our bikinis. And every magazine offers tips on how to choose the right suit to cover up their figure flaws. It’s no wonder so many girls are ashamed of their bodies.
It’s rare for boys to receive these kinds of messages when it comes to putting on a swimsuit. The beach is a friendly place for boys and men, but an enemy to many women and girls. And this needs to stop!
Feeling ashamed of their bodies
The only females that feel comfortable with their figures at the beach are under the age of 9. Even preadolescents unconsciously suck in their barely rounded stomachs, ashamed of their bodies. They feel uncomfortable with even the slightest bit of body fat. Women talk about losing weight and going on diets as they read magazines that tell them how to get skinny.
Many men, on the other hand, make jokes and laugh about their beer bellies and, every once in awhile, try to suck them in when an attractive woman is nearby. Overall, men seem more relaxed and happy at the beach.
Fear and hate towards our bodies
Women often send desperate messages to their daughters based on the shame they feel about their own bodies. This legacy of endless self-deprecation is fueled and incited by the omnipresent images of unreachable feminine beauty. As a result, many of our daughters hate their bodies. They become the victims of chronic eating disorders and, all too often, starve themselves to death.
Therefore, it’s crucial that mothers set a positive example so that their daughters aren’t ashamed of their bodies. We need to teach them to appreciate their bodies and love themselves just the way they are.
They need to understand that their value has nothing to do with how they compare to others. No one’s body is better or worse than any other.
Like mother, like daughter
In order for our daughters to feel comfortable in their own skin, mothers need to stop living at war with their own bodies. We need to abstain from constantly complaining about our weight and shape. No more obsessing over every ounce we gain or lose and how many calories and fat grams we eat. We shouldn’t treat our bodies – or food – as the enemy.
Our daughters need us to teach them the individual strengths and vitality of their bodies, no matter what size they are. The numbers on the scale and the width of a woman’s hips should never determine her self-esteem.
More teenage girls of all shapes and sizes will start to enjoy donning their suits at the beach when their mothers begin accepting and respecting their own bodies. It’s time we free ourselves and our daughter from the fear of being overweight.
All of our daughters deserve to feel comfortable about themselves and not ashamed of their bodies. All of our daughters deserve to enjoy a day at the beach or the pool, and simply love and accept themselves.
In conclusion, it’s our job to teach our children not to feel ashamed of their bodies. As mothers, we need to teach them self-love. This means teaching them to respect their bodies, take care of their health, and not obsess over appearances.
