- 6 in 10 girls stop doing what they love because they feel bad about their looks
- Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful
- 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful*
There are so many things that threaten young girls’ self-esteem. We know that confident girls become confident women, so we’re committed doing our part. That’s why we collaborated with the Starrett City Girl Scouts and Teens Helping Each Other (THEO) to provide a “girl talk” session aimed at building self-esteem, raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, and encouraging the Girl Scout troops to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Girl Talk: Making Wise Choices was definitely an afternoon of fun and encouragement. Fourteen Girl Scouts, four troop leaders and several parents watched drama presentations from THEO, a group of teens who role play scenarios that educate people about HIV/AIDS. We’ve partnered with THEO in the past, and their presentations always seem to resonate with their peers.
One of the best parts of the day was the self-esteem workshop, where the girls were all asked to write down hurtful words that had been said to them on a blank paper. Then on a red paper heart, they were asked to write or draw an image of what makes them happy. As we read all the hurtful words that were submitted, the girls were told to rip a piece of their paper hearts if they heard a word that had been said to them in the past. At the end of the activity, we looked at what was left of their hearts; some had very little left, which means there’s more work to be done!
Overall, it was a very therapeutic session, and we can’t wait to do it again. Hopefully next time there’ll be more hearts intact.
*SOURCE: Dove Research