7 Ideas to Increase Kids’ Body Image
Barbie, with her impossible buxom proportions, has taken a sales hit lately. The iconic doll isn’t selling as well as it used to, with sales that have declined four quarters in a row. An article in Time magazine points out that young girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and a greater desire to be thin. So are parents turning away from the doll to enforce a better body image in their girls?
Whether Barbie’s decline is a fluke or not, a few things are certain. Owning a Barbie isn’t going to make or break a young girl’s self-esteem; I owned Barbies and I have a perfectly healthy body image. But Barbies are one of thousands of images girls get throughout their lives that reinforce that thin is a beautiful ideal — and it’s usually one of the earliest images a young girl will get. So what can parents do to instill a good body image? We’ve got some ideas.
7 Ideas to Increase Kids’ Body Image
Soccer player Cassie is ready to play with her ball!
Dolls. There are so many dolls now that celebrate unique features, and even ones that encourage activity! We’ve loved the Go! Go! Sports Girls for a long time. Each doll is involved in a different sport!
For six more ways to boost body image, head on over to Babble…
How do you encourage a healthy body image in your kids? —Erin