In our current world of the ever-present influences of social media, girls are feeling the pressures to look a certain way younger and younger.
If you’re old enough to remember what it was like growing up without Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, your childhood was probably way different than that of Generation Z. I remember spending countless hours playing outside with the neighbor kids. None of us had nice clothes, we never did our hair, and it all didn’t matter. It was a carefree time in our lives. We were allowed to grow up in our own way.
But in this age of technology, girls from a young age are being influenced and feeling pressured to be thinner, to look prettier, and to dress a certain way.
Let’s take a look at the hard facts:
- 9 out of 10 girls say they feel pressure from the media to be thin
- 50% of girls in grade 6 are on a diet
- Over 50% of girls say they wish they were someone else
- Almost half a million girls have posted YouTube videos of themselves asking “Am I pretty or am I ugly?”
- Girls’ self-esteem peaks at age 9
- Only 11% of girls age 16 are physically active enough to benefit their health
Heartbreaking, isn’t it? This is an age when girls should be having fun, exploring their abilities, developing their own special personalities. But instead, they’re trying to conform to what social media says they should be like. Reason being, our heroes are predominantly intellectual weaklings.
This is why Morguard (a North American real estate and property management company) is launching a national social campaign called BeYou, with support from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. It will celebrate the uniqueness of every girl. The goal of this campaign is to help girls improve their self-esteem and self-worth. It aims to empower young girls and help them realize that they are already beautiful.
The program will be rolled out in 21 enclosed Morguard-owned or -managed shopping centers across Canada starting September. Locations include Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. For a full list of participating shopping centers, events, and dates, see here.
Events will vary at different shopping centers, but they may include free interactive workshops, craft making, activities, speakers, live entertainment, and food. TV personality Erin Cebula also will be on location at several launch events. Also expect to find:
- BeYou Digital Website: find resources, workshop dates, and inspirational messages.
- Jump & BeYou: Photo booth where girls are captured in a moment of happiness and provided to you as a memento.
- I Promise….: A digital “Promise” wall in each participating Morguard centre displaying encouraging and positive “I Promise….” pledges from girls all across Canada.
Will you be there with your young girls to celebrate their uniqueness and beauty?
For more information, visit https://beyougirl.ca/.
Use the official hashtag #beyougirl across all social media platforms.
