Please don’t call a dancer beautiful
Why you should not simply call a dancer ‘beautiful’. Continue reading Please don’t call a dancer beautiful
Category: Body image; children
A chip off the ol’ block
Recently I came across Alison Slater Tate’s article on the Huffington Post about the transmission of body image issues from mother to daughter (sounds like a disease, right? Yes it is). To quote her: “”She looks just like you,” her admirers say, their eyes bouncing from her face to mine. I smile because this makes me so proud, but I fight the urge to wince. I agree; she does look like me”. Why does Allison wince? Because she is worried that her daughter looking like her will lead to the same body image issues that gripped her childhood and adolescence. By … Continue reading A chip off the ol’ block
Talking to kids about food
These days more than ever, we have to be careful about what we allow our children to eat. This is because of: The amount of processed food on the market (ready to eat or stir through sauce jars, sachets and other ‘stuff’ in packets) and a concern about what effect additives and preservatives could have on our bodies long-term Our time-poor society, which can lead us to reach for these packaged foods for convenience Our concern with diseases such as diabetes, overweight and obesity Not only do we have to police what our kids eat because it’s a more complicated world, we need to teach … Continue reading Talking to kids about food
When 7 year olds check their reflection for more than just boogies
A friend recently accompanied her child’s Year 2 class to swimming lessons at the local aquatic centre. The lessons had finished and the boys had been in the bathrooms awhile so she went to hurry them up. What she saw made her laugh – there they all were, lined up in front of the mirror, styling their hair with water from the sink. Some were slicking, others were spiking. When she told me this story, I was actually horrified. The ‘metrosexual’ movement has been well-established in teen and adult males for some time….but SEVEN YEAR OLDS??!! As a 7 year-old … Continue reading When 7 year olds check their reflection for more than just boogies
