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Teaching Our Daughters About Real Beauty And The Photoshop Effect

January 17, 2012 By

Our daughters are bombarded on a daily basis with images of women who are flawless by the art of graphic design.

How can we as parents help our daughters be happy in their own skin when they constantly see these airbrushed images of women making the ideal body image unattainable?  We’ve got to help our daughters understand how misrepresented it all is or they’re going to struggle with the same self esteem issues that our generation has – and the one before us.

The Photoshop Effect

If after all the talking and assuring your teenage daughter that she is healthy and growing just as she should she is still comparing herself to beauty ads then have her check out this video.  It was done as a spoof on yet another beauty product which promises amazing results…

Isn’t it amazing what photoshop can do?  It’s important to show our daughter’s things like this and open up conversations about it so they aren’t fooled by the ‘movie magic’ that surrounds them.

What age do we start talking about body image?

NOW! 

Whether you have a toddler or a teenager if you aren’t talking to your children about their body image then you definitely should start.  In 2004 Dove launched their Real Women Campaign because after the results of a global study The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report they found that only 2% of women found themselves beautiful.  They redid the study in 2011 and the numbers are still slightly alarming with only 4% of women agreeing that they are beautiful.

So things are headed in the right direction, but slowly.  Having conversations with our daughters about beauty being more than skin deep as early and as often as possible is going to create a whole generation of women who feel beautiful in their own skin.

It Starts On The Inside

You have got to spend a lot of time building her self esteem up.  Don’t spend all of your compliments on her looks, but compliment her on her grades, her manners, her talents.  If you aren’t focused on her outward appearance so much, then she won’t be either.

According to the book, When Girls Feel Fat: Helping Girls Through Adolecense, ”During puberty, most girls’ bodies need to gain, on average, 10 inches and 40-50 pounds, including more body fat.”  In other words, in order to be a healthy and normally developing teenage girl you need to gain more weight and have more body fat on your body than the beauty industry would have you believe.  Reading this book with your teenage daughter could be a great defense against what screens present as beautiful.

In August 2003 Jennifer Lopez was quoted in Reader’s Digest as saying,

It’s important for all types of women to know that you don’t have to fit a prototype of what one person thinks is beautiful in order to be beautiful or feel beautiful…. People think, Sexy, big breasts, curvy body, no cellulite. It’s not that. Take the girl at the beach with the cellulite legs, wearing her bathing suit the way she likes it, walking with a certain air, comfortable with herself. That woman is sexy. Then you see the perfect girl who’s really thin, tugging at her bathing suit, wondering how her hair looks. That’s not sexy.

Show your daughters pictures of real women.  Beautiful women who have curves and blemishes.  Our sons also need to be taught what makes a woman beautiful.  Not fake plastic, but REAL WOMEN!

Don’t let our children fall for the photoshop effect.  Don’t let them feel that they are not good enough because they aren’t pencil thin with flawless skin all the time.  Teach them the ways to eat healthy and love who they are on the inside first.  Keeping in mind this quote from Henry Arthur Jones:

Beauty itself soon fades, and when a woman has beauty and nothing else, well, it’s like putting all the goods in the shop window, isn’t it? And the moment she loses her good looks–poor creature! what is she? Just a mere bit of faded finery to be thrown aside.

So lets not set our daughters up to be thrown aside when outer beauty fades.  Lets give them the tools they need to achieve inner beauty.  That starts with loving  herself and feeling confident in who she is!

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Parenting

Your Postpartum Guide to Healthy Hair and Nails

January 16, 2012 By

We Want Shiny Hair!

About three months after the birth of my twin boys my hair started falling out and with round the clock’ use, excessive hand-washing and pitiable eating habits, my poor nails started bending and breaking. My hair was literally coming out in clumps, which after months of enjoying lush thick locks and strong healthy nails I was sad to see! I can’t say I wasn’t warned about the postpartum phenomena but it still came as a shock.

Was there really nothing I could do to reverse the effects of my rapidly retreating pregnancy hormones?

Are Prenatal Vitamins really the Magic Bullet?

We’ve all heard that Prenatal Vitamins are magically capable of bringing back healthy hair and nails. We have also heard that Gweneth Paltrow was quoted as alluding to prenatal vitamins as her ‘go to’ beauty secret and well…if a celebrity like Gweneth Paltrow endorsed prenatal vitamins, they must be good, right?!

Seriously though, turns out the magic is largely folklore or should I say: ‘mom lore’.

I mentioned this to my own doctor who assured me that continuing to use my prenatal vitamins was perfectly fine but that I shouldn’t expect anything from them that I wouldn’t expect from any multi vitamin. The Mayo Clinic shares that opinion while adding a precautionary note regarding the use of prenatal vitamins by certain high risk groups; so definitely talk to your doctor if you plan to take these vitamins when not pregnant or breastfeeding.

We all know people who swear by prenatal vitamins for their positive affects on hair and nail health yet these affects remain purely unscientific. There are simply no facts to back up these claims.

So is there anything we can do?

You bet! For healthy hair and nails, the experts agree that a good diet, exercise and supplementing certain vitamins and minerals will help promote growth.

Here are 6 recommendations specific to promoting hair and nail growth:

  1. Eat a diet healthy diet, especially rich in flavinoids such as apples, apricots, blueberries, pears, raspberries, strawberries, black beans, cabbage, onions, parsley, pinto beans, and tomatoes.
  2. Get your essential vitamins, Vitamin A, C, D and E in particular. Vitamin A strengthens nails by helping your body utilize proteins, Vitamin C keeps tissues healthy, low levels of Vitamin D and Calcium are linked to brittle hair and nails and Vitamin E which aids in circulation stimulating growth in your hair and nail follicles.
  3. Eat eggs and nuts to deliver good proteins and essential fatty acids which are linked to shiny hair.
  4. Look for shampoos and conditioners that contain silica and biotin. Biotin is also known as Vitamin H and natural sources include eggs, nuts and fatty acids (see tip #3!)
  5. Consider a Coenzime Q10 supplement, a powerful antioxidant which has been linked to hair growth.
  6. Take Folic Acid (This must be where the Prenatal Vitamin folklore comes in!) Taking Folic Acid along with Vitamins B12 and C helps the body synthesize protein. Folic acid also aids red blood cells which in turns aids your oxygen transport. A deficiency in Folic Acid has been linked to hangnails!

So, for healthy hair and nails feed them the nutrients they crave!

 

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Health & Wellness

A Short Cut Is A Frugal Secret

September 8, 2011 By

This may be one of the best kept frugal secrets out there.  Everyone talks about resale shopping and extreme couponing – but when did someone last give you this tip:

A short hair cut is perfect for frugal moms!

Last fall I did something extreme.  I popped into the salon and told the stylist to ‘take it all off’.  Well, I didn’t ask her to shave my head – but we did take it darned short.

My hair hasn’t been this short since I was about ten.  It was a drastic change and I loved it.

Since then, I’ve kept it short.  This summer I got the shortest cut yet. The pic you see here is of me about six weeks after that cut so it’s grown out a bit.

Why is this frugal?

  • A short cut is cheap and fast at the salon.  I have no problem getting it done at one of the low cost salons like Fantastic Sams and Borics. (I never trusted these salons with longer styles – been there and cried about that.)
  • I use very little shampoo so it lasts a super long time.
  • I don’t need any conditioner.
  • I haven’t used hair spray or mouse at all since then – though I have used a bit of ‘mud’ once or twice to keep it where I want it when it was growing out.
  • I don’t need any hair clips, scrunchies or bands.
  • I don’t need a hair dryer.
  • I don’t even need a comb – seriously.  I just dry it and push it around a bit and it’s done.
  • When I had long hair, I had to buy two hair dye kits to get the job done.  Now I can buy the littlest boxes.

Besides money, this short do saves me time.  It cut about two minutes from my shower time and saves me 5 to 15 minutes on getting ready to go.

So, if you’re trying to trim every penny from your budget, think about going short, sweet and cheap!

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Money & Finance

Fashionable Maternity Tops

June 3, 2011 By

When it comes to investing in a maternity top that is both on trend for the spring and summer and is also comfortable, a great buy is a sash tie nursing top. Such an item is in fact a maternity top that can be doubled up as a nursing top, making it a must-have for expectant mothers who want to get a little more wear out of there new season purchases.

A sash tie top available from mamas and papas maternity wear range is both easy to wear and easy to fit to your expanding body shape; the flexible fabric is both cool and comfortable and with a range of new season shades to choose from, the sash tie top is right on trend for the up and coming warmer months.

Opt for a block colour in order to create a clean and stylish look that can be either dressed up or dressed down. The tie detailing will allow you to get in and out of this top without any hassle and the longer length style covers your new bump perfectly, without drawing attention to it!

If you want to add a little flair to your wardrobe then opt for a style that comes complete with a statement pattern, just make sure you choose the correct pattern. For example if you are a petite expectant mother, choose a smaller and more delicate pattern, a bolder, larger print could swamp you and instead draw attention to your bump.

Those that are taller and slimmer should look into investing in a print that is a little more statement in style, such a print is a refreshing and vibrant take on the new season spring and summer styles.

One print that never fails to hit the runway time and time again is the floral print, this is a must have investment to any expectant mothers wardrobe, especially if you want to brighten up your style a little bit.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style

How to do a Manicure at Home

February 25, 2011 By

It only seemed fitting to do a home manicure post after last week’s how to do a home pedicure post. It’s not very often I do manicures at home.

I’m an acrylic nail lover and have wore them off and on for the last 15 years! I do take them off every once in awhile to let my real nails ‘breathe’ and it just so happened that the other weekend when I did my pedicure at home I didn’t have the acrylic nails on so I was able to do a manicure too.

How to do a Manicure at Home

Supplies Needed:

  • nail polish remover
  • cotton balls
  • finger nail clippers
  • emery board
  • favorite colored nail polish
  • clear nail polish
  • towel
  • bowl to soak hands in
  • nail brush (scrubbing one)
  • cuticle cream
  • cuticle brush

Directions:

1. Place towel down to project surface you’ll be doing the manicure on.

2. Remove any nail polish on your nails with polish remover and cotton balls.

3. Fill bowl/tub (whatever you are using to soak your hands in) with warm water. Soak hands for 5 minutes. (I add a tiny amount of Dawn dish soap to my water)

4. Take cuticle cream and apply to cuticles. Push cuticles back with cuticle brush.

6. Cut and file nails to desired length.

7. Pain finger nails with colored nail polish. Let dry.

8. Apply clear nail polish as a top coat (this helps prevent chipping of colored nail polish) and let dry.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style
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