Today is International Women’s Day and I’m excited to celebrate this special day by spending an hour of time with my daughter talking about confidence and self-esteem. This blog post was written in partnership with the Dove Self-Esteem Project to encourage the next generation of girls to develop the confidence they need to reach their full potential.
This time last year I shared a heartfelt post about what life is truly like to be a mompreneur. While life has its ups and downs, I am eternally grateful that I have the opportunity to shape the life trajectory of my baby girl Cadence. She’s my heart and I’m eternally invested in seeing her glow up and become a powerful agent of change for her generation. Here’s something you might not know. 8 in 10 girls opt out of social activities, like raising their hands to voice their opinions, when they don’t like the way they look. You know how I know this is true? I used to be that girl.
I’ve built my platform around using style and beauty as a tool for self-empowerment. But there was a time (and there still are times, honestly) when someone’s opinion of my beauty and worth could easily sway my actions and dim my voice. If I was having a bad hair day and the annoying boy in 4th period said something to me about it, you couldn’t catch me raising my hand to give the correct answer in Calculus. Even if I KNEW I had the right answer, I didn’t want anyone looking at my hair. My actions would shift immediately in that moment. That’s why I’m so inspired by Dove Self-Esteem Project’s #HourWithHer initiative.
They sent me a Self-Esteem “Workshop In A Box” toolkit that I could work on with Cadence. It includes Even though she’s only four, her perspective on self-worth and beauty really begins to take shape now. I can see a visible difference in her posture when I remind her how beautiful she is. Today’s girls navigate a 24-hour pop-culture, social media, always-on news cycle that can negatively impact their self-esteem.
This toolkit helps them think closely about their personal beauty story and how to speak to THEMSELVES with positivity and to take charge. I had Cadence help me unpack the toolkit and I asked her to draw (she can’t write full sentences yet – only letters!) pictures that represent how she feels about herself. She drew the sun because she says it’s warm and bright.
It makes me feel so good knowing that she has positive feelings about her beauty already. I’m going to be fiercely protective of that for her. Leading experts believe that one hour talking to a girl about beauty, confidence and self-esteem can change the way she sees herself for a lifetime.
How will you dedicate time to spending an #HourWithHer? It could be your daughter, your niece or even a mentee you adopt through a charity. That one hour can make such a huge difference.
Since 2004, the Dove Self-Esteem Project has helped more than 20 million young people develop a positive relationship with the way they look by encouraging women to spend time talking to a girl in their life about beauty, confidence and self-esteem. Spend an #HourWithHer to boost a girl’s self-esteem for a lifetime. You could create a lifelong shift in her confidence and change history in the process.
Select photos by Crystal Stewart
