The Real Reason to Love Your Body: Promoting Positive Body Image

I had a thought today as I caught a glance of my daughter watching me as I was looking at myself in the mirror trying on a new outfit. I often see her looking at herself the same way, sometimes checking out her features and sometimes making funny faces, sometimes playing dress up or pretend makeup. I thought to myself…I need to love myself. I need to love my body. My daughter: she’s the real reason I need to love my body.

It hit me pretty hard in that moment that I am shaping the way she sees herself in that mirror whether I realize it or not. She watches my every move and studies my expressions. She knows when I’m happy and can sense when I’m not. She sees my reactions and hears my words. Before she will ever know it, she is modeling my behavior. It’s scary and amazing all at once that mothers have the ability to shape what their daughters might think of themselves. Body image is something that your daughter will struggle with sooner or later. We’re all human, and we all realize that we’re all made differently. But, here’s why you should know that you need to embrace your body. Embrace YOU.

That comment you made to your husband about cutting carbs and increasing cardio because “you’re fat”? She heard you.

That huff and puff that you made as you were frustrated that you didn’t like your thighs today? She saw you.

That second look that you take every morning to make sure everything is in place? She’s watching.

She’s watching. She’s listening. She thinks you’re beautiful. She thinks your perfect. She hears you not love yourself and starts to wonder what’s wrong with her body. In fact, she starts hating her body. She begins to wish she had different colored eyes and darker skin. She begins to think she’s fat.

She is watching. She is listening.

Be a good model for your daughters. Love yourself. Find the great things about you and focus on those. You may wish you had sculpted abs instead of stretch marks. You may wish that you were taller or thinner, but you were made perfect in God’s eyes. Why is that not enough? God made you specifically to how He wanted you to look. He CHOSE to make you, YOU.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:14

Love yourself. Love yourself for your kids. Love yourself for your husband. Love yourself for YOU.

Because…she’s watching.