Don't get me wrong, I love Honey Boo Boo and her crazy family. As a grown woman, I already know who I am and know NEVER to mimic that crazy little girl's actions. I'm afraid that the number of little girls that are praised for what is inside their heads instead of what is on their heads is still very small.
Many games geared towards young boys revolve around strategy, athletic availability, and engineering. Take legos for example, many of these themed lego sets are created to appeal to young boys. Why are there no Easy-bake ovens with "boyish" themes, teaching them how to be amazing chefs? Why doesn't Hot Wheels make any pink or sparkly cars, girls do drive too. Some even may way to become auto engineers someday. The self-esteem and gender gap aspiration issues begin with early childhood.
My biggest concern is the self-image young girls are holding on to these days. It is hard enough being a young kid as it is, but when "beauty" is constantly shoved in these adolescent girl's faces, it makes it much harder than necessary.
A study on teen health by WebMD revealed that the number of kids 18 and under having plastic surgery rose from just under 60,000 in 1997 to nearly 225,000 in 2003, according to statistics compiled by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
This report that looked at eight years' worth of data on teenagers found that the most common cosmetic procedures in teens are chemical peels and microdermabrasion to treat acne, laser hair removal, nose jobs, ear surgery, breast reduction, breast enlargement, chin augmentation, and liposuction to remove excess body fat.
Some of these teenagers are as young as 13 years old. They are not even done developing and growing yet, and are already jumping to the "solution" of cosmetic surgery. Once they are adults, it is up to them what they want to do with their bodies, but as children and teens they should still be enjoying their youth.
Now, I don't want to come across as a hypocrite and say that I am au natural all day, everyday. It is very rare that I leave the house without some concealer and mascara, and I've even been known to wear a WonderBra a time or two. But there is a massive difference between enhancing what Mother Nature blessed you with, and completely changing your entire body.
While bored and surfing the internet, I recently came across the most frightening thing I have ever seen. After countless plastic surgeries(although she only admits to one,) and thousands of dollars spent, a Ukranian model, Valeria Lukyanova, has transformed herself into the "Human Barbie Doll."
If only she were the only one. Below are other crazily overdone examples of females trying to look their version of beautiful.
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| Toddlers and Tiaras Contestant |
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| Before and After "Glamour Shots" |
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| Valeria Lukyanova- "Real Life Barbie Girl |
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| Anastasiya Shpagina- "Real Life Anime Girl" |
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| Fergie as a child pageant girl |
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| My friend and myself during Halloween, Ethnic Ken and Toddlers and Tiaras contestant |
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| Gwen Stefani as Cinderella |
Unrealistic goals to look like these idols:
What these young girls need to realize, is that there is nothing wrong admiring these characters. But they need to understand that their character idols are fake and are cartoon-like, and not meant to reflect the dimensions or proportions of real people. Sure, it is fine to dress up every now and then, as long as you know that it is a costume, and it does not define who you are. The real you should always be underneath your makeup, wig, or costume.
This is enough to discourage anyone from going under the knife:
Shout out to Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. If only more companies would embrace natural beauty like they do!
Dove "Real" Women vs. Victoria's Secret Models
