Mothers have can have a pivotal influence on their daughter’s self-image and confidence. Mothers play an instrumental role in the development of a healthy body image. The can help challenge negative attitudes about body image and promote a stronger self esteem. Here are our top ways mothers can help transform negative thoughts and rekindling self-love and increase confidence to love our body.

Write a Letter to Your Younger Self (and Share It With Your Daughter)

Writing a letter to our younger selves often proves highly cathartic, providing perspective on past regrets. For mothers with adolescent daughters, sharing these poignant sentiments can strengthen the maternal bond. As a daughter develops during puberty, changes in size and body shape can prompt momentary panic, requiring both physical and psychological adjustment. Normalizing this inner awkwardness can help teenagers feel less alone, making them receptive to further discussions. Through sharing this heartfelt letter, mothers can demonstrate the necessary understanding to encourage self-disclosure and validate self-expression. This enables them to spot low self-esteem and challenge distorted beliefs before they manifest as disordered behaviors. Once this level of sharing is possible, mothers can use their experiences as a starting point to build common ground with their daughters.

Focus on Long-Term Health and Wellbeing

In society, extreme regimes and diets are portrayed as fast track fixes for weight loss. Although they achieve short-term results, they are dangerous to maintain long-term, placing teenagers at risk of deficiencies that compromise healthy development. Instead of excluding whole food groups, mothers should encourage their teenage daughters to focus on lifestyle habits that can be easily sustained long-term. Focusing on health and wellbeing provides a refreshing sense of perspective; by harnessing a holistic approach, diet becomes an end itself rather than merely a means to an end. This provides a realistic alternative to adopt that acknowledges the importance of balance. Perceiving food as fuel for activities can alter thinking patterns; if food as portrayed as a source of sustenance, it will be perceived in a positive manner, rather than viewed with fear and foreboding. Additionally, separating foods from value judgments mitigates tensions at meal-times, reducing the risk of disordered eating.

Critique Media Ideals and Models

Images featured in the media present unhealthy ideals to aspire to, leaving us feeling woefully inadequate. These unrealistic standards of beauty invite constant upward comparisons, resulting in body dissatisfaction during a critical stage of development. The pervasiveness of media influence can quickly warp perceptions, with the daily bombardment of images blurring the line between fact and fiction. For those parenting young daughters, supporting a healthy self-image requires an active critique of this output, with discussions of the drastic measures that maintain these unhealthy ideals. Uncovering the stories behind the photos provides a broader sense of perspective while revealing how thinness is commoditized to sell papers and products.

Accentuate Inner Attributes 

Comparing ourselves to others is an inherently human trait, prompting feelings of inferiority that reduce our sense of self-worth. While first impressions matter, concentrating solely on outward appearance provides a skewed perception of our worth, and what we can offer the world. For mothers with teenage daughters, additional vigilance is needed to counter the bombardment of airbrushed models. To promote a strong self-image, it is crucial to help young women discover their inner strengths and how they can apply them in practice. As they begin to uncover these traits, they replace feelings of inadequacy with confidence and inward conviction. Once they acknowledge these traits in themselves, they are less susceptible to influence and critical judgments from peers. Ultimately, this can help them perceive personal quirks as the source of their greatest strengths.