{"id":6360,"date":"2014-07-02T07:03:03","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T11:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=6360"},"modified":"2014-07-02T12:03:34","modified_gmt":"2014-07-02T16:03:34","slug":"commercials-that-empower-girls-much-ado-about-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2014\/07\/commercials-that-empower-girls-much-ado-about-nothing.html","title":{"rendered":"Commercials That Empower Girls: Much Ado About Nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BFS_SelfImage_LG\"<\/a>Have you noticed the trend? \u00a0Companies trying to sell us\u00a0hair and feminine products, soap and\u00a0make-up\u00a0are targeting girls with messages of empowerment. Stop being weak, telling people you are sorry and wallowing in low self-esteem! #GirlsCan!<\/p>\n

First it was Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, then the Pantene video told\u00a0women to stop saying we are sorry, and now the Always video is declaring the phrase, “like a girl” not to be negative, but positive. Oh, and Cover Girl joins the fray with its #GirlsCan celebrity campaign!<\/p>\n

So do girls and women\u00a0really need this boost in self-esteem? Are we fragile, conflicted, insecure and in need of an esteem boost?\u00a0\u00a0Are we \u00a0confused about our roles, wondering if we can be assertive, and unsure of how to\u00a0run like a girl?<\/p>\n

Hardly, it is the 21st century!<\/p>\n

According to one study that looked at over 100,000 adolescent girls, self-esteem isn’t in the dumps like these empowering campaigns want us\u00a0to\u00a0believe. Yes, girls obsess more about their appearances during adolescence and thus are more prone to eating disorders, but boys and girls come up\u00a0equal when it comes to self-esteem, especially related to academics. And boys actually fall short of girls on moral-ethical issues and feelings about their own behavior. Hmmm….maybe we should be targeting boys to stay strong.<\/p>\n

In addition, Susan Harter at the University of Denver found that girls and boys were not different when it came to expressing their opinions, sharing feelings, letting others know what is important to them and saying what is on their minds. When both genders had parent, teacher and friend support, they developed strong voices.<\/p>\n

Researchers Gentile, Twenge and Campbell concluded that the overall pattern of self-esteem among teens and young adults has increased over the past decade, not decreased.\u00a0 And while there is a dip in self-esteem at puberty, that dip is not as low as past\u00a0years. It’s actually quite normal to see a dip in self-esteem when your body is changing at record speed. At the end of the study, the researcher noted that all the cultural emphasis on self -worth has been successful and declared “Mission Accomplished.”So it seems feminists need a new cause and this need to empower girls is much ado about nothing.<\/p>\n

Studies also support the idea that the younger generations is more tolerant and supportive of equality. Now, this doesn’t mean they are more empathetic. In fact, we are seeing a growing trend towards narcissism. Maybe that is where campaigns to help girls should focus! Be more empathetic towards others, obsess less about yourself and find your identity in Christ, not through products or material things. Of course then there would \u00a0be no product to sell!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you are someone who struggles with self-esteem (Yes, there are those who do!), check out my book pictured above, \u00a0Breaking Free from Negative Self-Image<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

Foster, J. D., Campbell, W. K., & Twenge, J. M. (2003). Individual differences in narcissism: Inflated self-views across the lifespan and around the world. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 469-486.<\/a><\/p>\n

Stewart, K. D., & Bernhardt, P. C. (2010). Comparing Millennials to pre-1987 students and with one another.\u00a0North American Journal of Psychology, 12,<\/em>\u00a0579-602.<\/a><\/p>\n

Gentile, B., Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2010). Birth cohort differences in self-esteem, 1988-2008: A cross-temporal meta-analysis.Review of General Psychology, 14,<\/em>\u00a0261-268.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you noticed the trend? \u00a0Companies trying to sell us\u00a0hair and feminine products, soap and\u00a0make-up\u00a0are targeting girls with messages of empowerment. Stop being weak, telling people you are sorry and wallowing in low self-esteem! #GirlsCan! First it was Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, then the Pantene video told\u00a0women to stop saying we are sorry, and now…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[914],"tags":[2952,2951,2950,2949,2178,187],"class_list":["post-6360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-relationships-2","tag-commercials-and-empowering-girls","tag-commercials-and-self-esteem","tag-empowering-girls","tag-insecurity","tag-low-self-esteem","tag-negative-self-image"],"yoast_head":"\nCommercials That Empower Girls: Much Ado About Nothing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2014\/07\/commercials-that-empower-girls-much-ado-about-nothing.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commercials That Empower Girls: Much Ado About Nothing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you noticed the trend? \u00a0Companies trying to sell us\u00a0hair and feminine products, soap and\u00a0make-up\u00a0are targeting girls with messages of empowerment. 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