Onslaught

I know I've commented on Dove's Real Beauty Campaign before, but as we gear up for school I thought it might be a good time to revisit their ideas on self esteem. Even for the most confident girls, the start of a new school year can bring out all types of insecurities, including those surrounding the concept of 'beauty'. Starting at a young age, girls are subjected to an insane amount of pressure regarding their physical appearance: watch MTV for five minutes and you'll no doubt see teenagers following each other's examples and leads when it comes to clothing, make-up and dieting as if they were all sheep, blindly accepting their peers' judgements as the gospel.

Dove has created the Self Esteem Fund to try and combat the mentality that a woman's beauty is only found when looking in the mirror through critical eyes. (Go to Dove.com to see other great ads by Dove.) To strengthen a young girl's sense of self, positive role models and 'real' examples of true beauty are necessary. It is my hope every day that Eli and Maddux do not look to others for validation on their road to finding pride and value in their strength and beauty. I want them to know that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and God made them perfect the way they are. No matter what anyone else tells them. Ever. They need to know that the pictures they see in magazines are manufactured and airbrushed and photo-shopped. They need to know that ads they see on TV and in the movies are not the prototype they are supposed to follow. They were designed to be them. The way they are. Glorious, beautiful them. Eli, with his special feet. Maddux, with her goofy, crooked grin. They do not need to lose weight, gain muscle, be tan, wear Prada, get a nose job, or wear colored contacts to be beautiful. They were beautifully made and I hope they know that every day of their lives.