Not "Girly" enough?

The other day I was confronted with the notion that I don't dress my daughter "girly" enough.

Interesting I thought.

"Girly enough"? What does that mean exactly?

I was told that it is harmful to girls everywhere if we do not celebrate their feminine side. But what is the feminine side? It's something we created a long time ago through our own stereotypes... Girls wear pink tutus and have bows in their hair, wear bling and pink ribbons.

But is that really what defines a girl? I don't think so.

I can remember dressing what some mothers would call "boyish", I played with boys, and I played in the dirt. But I'm all girl, and I celebrate my independent nature everyday!

So why all the fuss about what we wear and how we dress our girls?
The zen approach would be to say we celebrate the person and what is, not what we think it needs to be.

I would l0ve to hear your thoughts and comments on this!

It's what you do, not what you say...

Every once in a while I will will be privy to a defining moment - the kind of moment where you can see the wheels turning in someones head. It is a moment that impacts them more then they realize.

Yesterday, after teaching a class at the gym, I went into the locker room to change clothes. There was a young girl with her mother changing as well. I don't think the mom really noticed just how much her little girl watched her, but it changed the girls perception right before my eyes. The mom was noticing her "flaws" in the mirror - as we all do, but her daughter was taking it all in. After the woman finished getting dressed, I watched the daughter walk over to the mirror, look over at her mom and then look at herself with disappointment.

Sometimes we think its just the negative self talk that our daughters hear, but even more powerful than words are our actions.

You are the best role model for your daughter, and even if you don't verbalize your insecurities about yourself and your body (I know we all have them) there are other ways they can seep into our daughters lives.

Make a point to celebrate your body, and remember they are ALWAYS watching us. Setting an example of confidence is a 24/7 job!

GirlSpire Book at Barnes & Noble

Just a quick note to let you know after 10 months of work, GirlSpire is now available on www.bn.com!

Please feel free to check it out, and I would love to hear your thoughts :)

The book is Now on BN.com!
http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=girlspire&page=index&prod=univ&choice=allproducts&query=girlspire&flag=False&ugrp=2