Most kindergarteners opt to draw puppies, their friends, trucks, flowers, you know, stuff like that. It's safe to say that Semra Anston Young is not like most kindergarteners. The 6 year old from Kansas City, Missouri chose to draw something else when she received her first writing assignment: Write and draw something that you love. Semra's final product? A smiling self portrait with the bold declaration...
"I LOVE MY BODEE"
Semra's mom, Kali Young, says she and her husband have made
a conscious effort to encourage a positive self image in their children and
were "happy that she sees herself as beautiful and that she loves her
body."
Mrs. Young's attitudes towards encouraging body positivity
is certainly one that should be modeled by all of us. She says, “We focus on
inner beauty — kindness, compassion — and always highlight that above all
else,” Young says. “When it comes to outer beauty, we point out what a
beautiful shirt someone is wearing, or compliment a beautiful hair color. My
hope is that she sees that inner beauty is paramount and that outward beauty is
represented in many diverse ways.”
Semra's positive self image is so refreshing in a world
where so many young children have a negative view towards their appearance,
many of who end up dieting before middle school.
Dove recently conducted self-esteem study and found that 9
out of 10 girls have qualms with their appearance and want to change at least
one thing about themselves. Read my post about the study and get some tips on
how to encourage body positivity in the young girl's in our lives here.
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Women
