Great body image article
 

Sorry if this has already been shared (the article is 2 years old) but this is the first time I've seen it!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...tummy-all.html

I'm just so shocked that she's a PLUS SIZE model? She's gorgeous and not PLUS at all!

A few years ago now i ran a girl guide group of girls ages 9-13 years and part of the program is healthy living and such.... i worked with the girls to teach them that not everyone is perfect and that hollywood does airbrush almost all celebrities.... I found out about the Dove challenge and I introduced all the girls to it... we worked on it for about a month and the girls in the end I think had a better appreciation for their bodies... Let me tell you when we started I was absolutely floored at how many of the young girls even at 9 years old hated their bodies.... I just kept thinking to myself ...1. none of them were fat or even close to being fat by any means and 2.. their bodies arent even done growing or developing and theyre already disgusted with themselves... I needed to help them. Like I said we did the challenge and a lot of the girls changed their opinions and views.... to tie it all in especially since around the time it was bullying week i showed them videos from youtube of kids being bullied ... the consequences of saying something as simple as youre fat or calling someone a cow. None of them really realized what an impact their words had on others whether they were joking around or not.... its articles and pictures like this that should be in magazines showing our young kids these days that not everything is as it appears... not every girl looks like Kiera Knightly.... that airbrushing is done 99% of the time. As i caught up recently with most of my girls... They all still to this day thank me for showing them that everyone is beautiful no matter how you look. :)

That is an awesome article...
Candice, I love your story, I wish that there were more people working with young girls on the same thing, my little sister is 13 and it takes all I have to try to convince her how perfect she is. She hates her body and calls herself fat. She's literally the perfect size and athletic. I wish we could work with girls more!!

If it wasnt for working 3 jobs and going to University at the same time I would have kept doing it...the work load just got to be too much but those 2 years I did were honestly the most fun ive had in my life... lol kinda sad haha but now that I have my son (6months) Id eventually like to get back into it... if I cant with girls then maybe volunteer with the cubs or something when its time for my son to go. But honestly I think the guys are fine not to say they dont have their problems or macho men in mags as well but I think id be more useful with the girls :) so who knows maybe sometime soon