Based on Perceived Beauty

As a father to two beautiful little princesses, stats like these keep me awake at night.

They keep me in their tender faces sharing with them that beauty comes from the heart and that God has made them beautiful inside and out. Again and again like a broken record they will hear that I love them no matter what. That there is nothing they can do to earn more love and nothing they can do to fall from my love - Jesus's love for us is not based on perceived beauty or performance.

What are you teaching your daughters about beauty at home?

[Read the full article: Based on Perceived Beauty]

There’s no doubt that the media has impacted our current perceptions of beauty in a powerful way through a pervasive presentation of unnatural and mostly unattainable beauty. The pressure to try to match up has never been higher on women, men, and now children of all ages.

42% of 1st to 3rd Graders want to be thinner. 81% of 10 years olds fear getting fat. [Dove Real Beauty Campaign]

More than half of teenage girls are, or think they should be, on diets. About 3% go too far, becoming anorexic or bulimic. [ANRED]

In 2004, the average age girls started to use beauty products was 17. In 2009, the age has dropped to 13.

8 to 12 years old spend $40+ million a month on beauty products. Teenagers spend $100 Million. [NPD Group]

Cosmetic surgery procedures for those under 18 has doubled in the last 10 years. [American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery]

Culture and the media is having it’s say. As a parent, what messages are you sending to your children? What conversations are you having?