Girl Self-Esteem & Image Issues & Parents

Influences of Media & Pop Culture on Our Worldview.

Girl Self-Esteem & Image Issues & Parents

25 March 2009 52 Comments

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Girls Self Image

Almost across the nation 50% of young girls are engaged in negative activities such as injuring and cutting themselves or engaging in unhealthy eating habits and disorders due to self-esteem and self-image issues.

Girl Self-Esteem & Image Issues

Dove’s Campaign on True Beauty came with a bang last year with their poignant videos that went viral all over the web:

Evolution Video

Onslaught Video

Have you visited their site? It has quite a good number of statistical data in regards to Girls and Self-Image. They have information as well as workshops in helping a girl with their self-esteem. They also have a map with top cities and the individual studies they did in each area. I’ve summarized their statistics and findings below.

Here is the executive summary:

Self-esteem has become a crisis in this country. The majority of girls feel they do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance in school and relationships. Most disturbing is that girls with low self-esteem are three times more likely than girls with high self-esteem to engage in harmful and destructive behavior that can leave a lasting imprint on their lives.

Highlights: Real Girls, Real Pressure National Study

Girls and Insecurities

7 in 10 Girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance i school and relationship with friends and family members.
62% Girls are insecure about themselves

Low Self Esteem and Bad Behavior

75% of girls with low self-esteem report engaging in negative activities such as eating disorders, cutting, smoking, drinking when feeling bad about themselves.
25% of teen girls with low self-esteem purposefully injure or cut themselves
25% of teen girls with low self-esteem have eating disorders (starving, refusing to eat, overeating, throwing up, bulimia)

Parental Influence Good and Bad

Girls with low self-esteem less likely to receive praise from parents but more criticism
34% of girls with low-self esteem feel they are not good enough of a daughter.
57% of girls have mothers who criticizes her looks
57% of girls don’t tell mothers things about them because of they don’t want them to think bad of them

One of their primary focuses is the fact that parents have great influence in the way their daughters view beauty, their body, and their self-esteem. There is a push to make parents aware that their comments about eating habits, about clothes and looks, about body images all molds a child’s thinking. Moms are role models, and when moms are constantly talking about how some dress makes them look (“This dress makes me look so pretty” “this dress makes me look fat”) or how they feel about their body (“I am getting fat!”) or how their daughter needs to eat a certain way not to get fat (“Don’t eat that or you’ll get fat”), these off hand comments that most people make molds the way the child views themselves, the way they view what is beauty and their own self-esteem.

Below I’ve noted some high level information from some of the bigger cities in the US. Statistics always hit closer to home when you know it’s your local area. You can find the rest of the cities on their map page. Highest among the list is bolded.

Believe they are not good enough daughters

Austin – 19%

Chicago – 18%

Los Angeles – 23% (top 10)

New York – 19%

San Francisco – 25% (top 5)

Believe they do not measure up in some way (looks, performance, relationships)

Austin – 71%

Chicago – 70%

Los Angeles – 70%

New York – 59%

San Francisco – 71%

Seattle – 67%

Washington D.C – 66%

Engaged in Negative Activities due to Self-Esteem Issues

Austin – 43% (9% injure or cut themselves, 24% eating disorders)

Chicago – 49% (5% injure or cut themselves, 15% eating disorders)

Los Angeles – 50% (7% injure or cut themselves, 22% eating disorders)

New York – 46% (7% injure or cut themselves, 17% eating disorder)

San Francisco – 51% (7% injure or cut themselves, 8% eating disorders)

Seattle – 62% (13% injure or cut themselves, 19% eating disorders)

Washington D.C – 53% (15% injure or cut themselves, 24% eating disorders)

Top wish of Girls in regards to their parents

Parents to Communicate Better – more open conversations about their lives

50% of Young Girls are Engaging in Harmful Activities

The statistics are alarming. Almost across the nation 50% of young girls are engaged in negative activities such as injuring and cutting themselves or engaging in unhealthy eating habits and disorders due to self-esteem and self-image issues. Since childhood they are influenced by media, the beautiful celebrities, the models, the magazines that tells them the best ways to look prettier, lose more weight, while displaying skinny perfect skinned women. As adults alike are engaged in this culture, when they look at parents or older models they see the same type of image focused values. It is no wonder girls in our modern culture have self-image issues.

There are a lot of good articles out there discussing how parents can positively influence and affect their child’s view of themselves and properly anchor their self-image and self-esteem on the right things. A child’s dependence on how they look stems often from the language and life of their own parents and so with a little more awareness and effort parents can together have a positive influence on their children.

What is your reaction to these statistics?
Do any of the self esteem statistics surprise you?
What great ideas have you tried with your children to help their self-esteem?

52 Comments »

anonymous said:

I agree

# 15 April 2009 at

Vanessa said:

It’s actually pretty sad to see this happening to girls. I’ve seen little girls change SO much and so prematurely because they want to fit in to this ‘beauty’ image. What’s most disturbing is that they see this as a natural progression, as though it was something they need to do as part of growing up.

# 22 July 2009 at

Jenny said:

Where did you get the stats for this article? I would like to use them in a report for school but I need the resource. It would be really appreciated if I could get the sources as soon as possible. Thanks!

# 10 March 2010 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

Hey Jenny,

it notes in the article that the stats are from the dove site. I would poke around on their site to find some of the statistics noted here.

You can also utilize this link to help you get started: self esteem statistics

Also have you seen this article about children and the concept of beauty? Very fascinating. I think it will be helpful in your studies.

Where you can, please source this website as well to help spread the word
Hope this helps.

# 10 March 2010 at

E. Ann said:

Hi, I’m doing my Eng 111 research paper on The media and how it affects young people’s self esteem and body image. I just read your article and would like to use your statistics on my paper but I need the author’s full name for my works cited. I don’t mind if it’s just the last name etc as long as my source is legit to my teacher. So, if its ok can you please respond to my comment with the author’s full name of last name? thank you!

# 25 March 2010 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

Hey E. Ann,

I went ahead and emailed you directly the authors name.
Hope you write a great paper! If you are willing come share with us all your findings or email it over.

We have a lot of great articles and statistics on the influences of media on young people. Use this link to find more. (it’s what you would get if you searched for “children media” on the search bar on the top right.
http://www.cleancutmedia.com/?s=children+media&x=0&y=0

- Clean Cut Media

# 25 March 2010 at

anna said:

hey, i am also doing a report about how media affects girls’ body image. i was wondering if you could email me the author of the article plzz cause its my summative and its really important and can u email me as soon as u get this.. thanks alot..

# 6 April 2010 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

done.

# 6 April 2010 at

Crystal said:

hey i was wonder who the author was because i am writting a paper on media influence for my religion class.

# 18 April 2010 at

Corinne said:

I would also like to include one of your statistics from this article and was wondering if you could e-mail me the author’s name so I can cite it. Thank you, Corinne

# 21 April 2010 at

SupahStar said:

Can you please email me the author’s name.!!

# 7 September 2010 at

me said:

# 20 September 2010 at

lou said:

Would someone e-mail me the name of the author. Thanks

# 11 October 2010 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

hey lou!

Sent! Please do reference the site if you chose to.. “cite” it somewhere..

# 11 October 2010 at

canttell said:

you no wat this is scary i cant belive that that many girls are like that. ifeel bad for them

# 13 October 2010 at

Tiffany said:

I am also writing an essay on self-esteem issues in the world today. I need the Author’s name as well. Can you please email me that if possible so I can cite it as well. Thanks so much

# 16 November 2010 at

k c said:

Very interesting and complex topic – and always of interest to me. You provided solid information. That, along with the comment exchanges, keeps this conversation going. A wonderful contribution. Thank you!
Self Esteem Affirmations

# 17 November 2010 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

hey KC. thanks for your kind words.

# 17 November 2010 at

Jan said:

Hello. I am also writing an essay on self-esteem issues for my Eng012. Can you please email me the author of this article. Thank you very much. And btw, nice article.

# 24 November 2010 at

Emily Kaufman said:

I would like for the ladies to take responsiblity for there self esteem! Don’t look to the main stream media as your standard… it’s all edited and processed. You hold on to your happiness, individuality, and spirit. Smile, be friendly and kind, and stop letting boys and other weak people control you because you want their attention. What ever you have today you either did not have it yesterday or it will be gone tomorrow so prepair your self for change and growth.
Be blessed and Stay Stong!
Emily Kaufman
Cosmetologist and Motivational Speaker

# 6 March 2011 at

Hannah said:

Need the authors name for citation. Thank you

# 7 March 2011 at

Katie said:

Heyy I came across this when researching for my pop culture and the negativer effects it has on teen girls. very helpful. very sad.
i was curious if you could email the authors name please?
thank you for the great article .

# 27 March 2011 at

Giulianne said:

Hi I’m creating a program plan for a class, and need to cite this in the paper, could i get the authors name/info for this to cite it! thanks!

# 4 April 2011 at

Kyle said:

Could I get the authors name?? I am writing a paper on self-esteem and need to cite this.

# 16 April 2011 at

Mary said:

Hi I need the authors name to cite it in my schools newspaper!!! This article is great as I go to an all girls school and this pressure is always on. Please email me by tonight, authors name! Thank you

# 20 April 2011 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

in case people are wondering, I’ve sent the info everyone has been requested directly to the email addresses provided! Enjoy! thanks so much for your interest. Hope others find it interesting and insightful.

# 20 April 2011 at

tab said:

i need the other to please i’m citing this page as well!

# 27 April 2011 at

Taylor said:

Can i please get the author’s name also!

# 4 May 2011 at

Hannah said:

I LOVE this article and i am doing a speech on low self esteem and i really need the authors name for my citation!! Please get it to me asap! Thanks!

# 8 May 2011 at

Natassja said:

Hey great article, I would love to get more info as well for a school paper Im doing. The Authors name will be great! Thanks in advance

# 9 May 2011 at

stacy said:

hello is it possible that i could also get the author’s name? I would like to cite this article in a research paper. Can you please email it to me as soon as possible? Thanks!

# 9 May 2011 at

LauraNicoleKing said:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/True-beauty-a-day-without-makeup/240688922624978?sk=wall x

# 27 June 2011 at

Jeff Mancuso said:

Hi there, as many others requested, I also am citing this article in my paper and would appreciate the authors name. Thx

# 11 August 2011 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

I believe I sent the name for all those that requested!

thanks so much for visiting. come again! and check out our other articles on similar topics.

don’t forget to like our facebook page and let us know your thoughts there as well!

http://www.facebook.com/cleancutmedia

# 15 August 2011 at

Bobbie Garcia said:

Does anyone know the name of the author? I would love to use this article for my English class, BUT I need the name of the author. Please help!

# 27 August 2011 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

got you too bobbie. check ur email.

by the way, if any of you out there produces a really good report you think is worth sharing to the world, please by all means send it to us to review!

info at cleancutmedia com

# 29 August 2011 at

Mel said:

Although this article is very good,

# 5 September 2011 at

Mel said:

sorry) I feel it is lacking in the sense that it doesn’t discuss the fact that all of these things happen to males. For example, 5% of people with anorexia are male. By focussing on the girls having these issues, it’s leaving out key points which can make males with the problems feel isolated.

# 5 September 2011 at

Alex Yoss said:

Hi! I’m writing an argumentative essay over the negative effects from sexual objectification of young girls and I need the authors name by tonight! If you could email it to me that’d be wonderful! Great article

# 6 October 2011 at

pendragon said:

I absolutely love your point! I agree so strongly that the teens of today need to realize what true beauty is. Its about being yourself, its about knowing your worth, and realizing your potential. Its about the character that you build through all your trails and tribulation. Btw, im doing a perssuasive essay for literature and i need the authors name and works cited info as well.
Thanks.

# 7 October 2011 at

pendragon said:

ps,
Im also having trouble finding the copyright.
Thanks again for speaking out!

# 7 October 2011 at

pendragon said:

I agree so much! the teens of today need to realize what beaty really is. Its being yourself, its realizing your potential and worth,its the character you build through all your trails a tribulations. Thanks for speaking out.
Btw, I need the authors name as well, and im having trouble finding the copyright.
Thanks again!

# 7 October 2011 at

Rox said:

Hello! Im doing a report on why female teenagers engage in self cutting behavior and I want to use this article as a reference! Can I have the author’s name? Thanks!

# 8 October 2011 at

Angela said:

Hi! I’m preparing a workshop on girls and self esteem, can you provide me with the authors name? Also, thank you for providing such vital information…keep up the good work!!

# 11 October 2011 at

Estephanie said:

Hi, just like a couple of other people in the previous blogs, I am doing my Senior Thesis on How the Media Portrayals the Image of a Perfect Body For Women, and one of my questions are about self-esteem issues and I am using a lot of the information form this websitee but i need the authors name.

# 21 October 2011 at

Victoria said:

I am writing a paper on television media and how it affects adolescent girls. Can I please have the authour of this article so it will be cited correctly? thanks

# 13 November 2011 at

Megan said:

Hey I am using this article for a paper. Please send me the authors name. Thank you(:

# 17 November 2011 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

just sent it to you. thanks for visiting! be sure to check out other relevant articles. Examples:

http://www.cleancutmedia.com/advertising/sexualization-of-girls-in-media

http://www.cleancutmedia.com/tv-shows/tv-medias-influence-on-child-development

# 17 November 2011 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

thanks for visiting Megan. I sent the info you requested. Hope it is helpful.

# 17 November 2011 at

Megan said:

Hey I am not sure I got it. Could you resend it please. Thanks so much!

# 20 November 2011 at

cleancutmedia (author) said:

sent again. try checking your spam if you don’t see it. good luck

# 21 November 2011 at

Jay said:

Hi! Can I please get the authors name also, thanks!

# 29 November 2011 at

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Clean Cut Media aims to bring you insightful commentary and meaningful discussions on the impact of media on pop culture. No one would argue that all forms of media from movies to music to advertising has a powerful effect on how we think and what we believe. However it is fascinating to really examine the underlying messages and hidden philosophies behind each story or ad. Posts will vary from examinations into advertising campaigns or philosophies conveyed in a movie, to deeper discussions about life philosophies, discussions about truth and meaning.