As a woman there's no getting away from society's distorted obsession with the perfect body, the perfect face, the ideal weight, the 'look'. My daughter is on the precipice of adolescence and is trying to figure out how to 'be' in the world, perfect just as she is in this moment.
So many barricades ahead of her including her own friends, boys (& men), the media machine and Lady Gaga!
My daughter is thoughtful and curious and already has a strong sense of self and belief in who she is. But when she comes home from school asking me if she's ugly it breaks my heart.
For now I will be the mirror that reflects her beauty. The beauty I can see both inside and out until she can see it for herself without distortion, without the veil of self-hatred and ridicule. As I watch her in front of her bedroom mirror she looks at her profile from this side and that, frowning. Finally she grins at her reflection and at me watching her. Head cocked to one side she winks at herself and says ' hey there gorgeous'.
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