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My daughter is 10 now and she has been critical of her looks since about 6 or 7 years of age. I know for certain it comes from conversations with her friends about what is attractive in a female. My daughter has come home from school saying that she has been told that her thighs are fat, that she needs to shave her legs, that she needs to wear make-up, etc. She does watch the television sitcoms on Nick and Disney and she has a subscription to Tiger Beat magazine, but frankly, I'm not convinced that depriving her of these things will make any great difference because the images are so pervasive and the mandates to conform to them as ideals are coming from other children. What I do for my daughter is to point out where there are lies in the projection of these images. I take photos of her often and show her how beautiful she is. Like cellophanedeity said, I allow her to choose her own clothing (for the most part) so that she feels like she has control of her own image. And, of course, I compliment her on all of her qualities that have nothing to do with her looks - her talents and abilities. I think this is just a consequence of the day and age that we live in but it can be counteracted by parents who are aware and not wrapped up in the illusions themselves - which is, sadly, kind of common.
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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce
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