Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Dove Self-Esteem Fund

(This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Dove Self-Esteem.)

Like any other woman, my self-esteem fluctuates.  Any number of things in my life weigh in on how I am feeling about myself.  I admit that I’ve never thought myself to be the typical beauty—I’m only 5’5” tall, and have always struggled with my weight.  I was often the only brunette in a sea of blondes. 

Where I used to be concerned only about how my looks, my appearance and my weight compared to the stereotypical beauties on television, now my career and being a wife and mother have added to my load.   It’s surprising to me that I am still struggling with these insecurities after thirty-two years.  Now, not only do I worry about my appearance, but I worry that I am doing a good job in my classroom, and most importantly, that am I doing a good job as Haskell’s Mom and as Rhea’s wife.

Before I became a teacher, I never really thought about anyone else’s self-esteem.  Just by default, the “self” was always the more important factor there.  Admittedly, seven years of watching countless teenage girls struggle with their self-esteem and a fixed idea of what is beautiful has broken my heart.  But in a good way.  Now that I have a daughter my heart aches again at the thought of her future struggles; that she will some day be thirty-two and still doubting herself.  It’s so important for girls to have strong, secure, steady female role models, who can show them how to be confident, compassionate young women who love who they are, what they look like, and are comfortable with their definition of beautiful without getting hung up on that inner-critic.

I love what Dove is doing through their Self-Esteem Fund and the Campaign for Real Beauty.  I love that they’re making a statement through their ads, products and their Self-Esteem program to encourage women and girls to see what’s really beautiful about themselves. It’s so great that they are raising money to help support programs like the Girl Scouts and Boys and Girls’ Clubs of America and Girls Inc.  All organizations that are already committed to helping girls see the best in themselves.

There are so many ways to get involved.  While you are over at the Dove Self-Esteem site, look around the materials for ideas you can you with your daughters and granddaughters You can also become a Fan of Dove on Facebook and find the materials on the Downloads Tab.  Additionally, Dove is also collecting video and photo testimonials from women who have helped build positive self esteem in a girl in their life.  Go HERE to visit Dove’s official site for more information about the program and to enter the UPC codes from recently-bought Dove products.  $1 will be donated to the Self-Esteem Fund for every code entered.

Now I know my heart is beautiful.  While there are many people along the way who’ve helped me build my self-esteem, I would especially like to thank my husband Rhea for helping to buoy me on more than one occasion, and probably at the times when I needed it most. 

Also, be sure to click over to BlogHer.com, to read the other reviews for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.  The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is committed to helping girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010. With your help, we can make a difference!