If you ask a woman what she likes least about herself, she will rarely say “I hate my personality”; instead she will say “I hate my teeth”, or thighs, or some other physical attribute … and that was the theme I talked about in Brighton last week (at party conference) at the Girl Guides fringe meeting to mark the launch of their report “Under ten and under pressure” about the pressures our modern way of life and society puts on young girls:
We all have a hard time growing up. Some of it really painful. Much of it to do with will I be liked? Will boys ask me out? And even if they do –that never really assuages the self doubt. And even if it does – just wait until you next see the TV, read a newspaper or pick up a magazine. Look younger now. Be slimmer tomorrow. The pressure to be self-conscious and anxious about your image is nearly relentless – and that much harder to deal with the younger you are.
We – and by this I mean society as a whole – have a tendency to measure self-esteem through external factors. This is also reinforced in the Opinion Leader Research which shows girls’ self-esteem to be intrinsically linked with having strong and supportive friendship groups.
So what kind of identity does Western society offer to women and girls? And why does this lead to such dramatic problems of self-esteem, such as depression and eating disorders?
The rest of the speech is up on my website.
Lynne Featherstone 
It is a good to see a politician talk about these issues rather than being scared off by the idea that they’re not serious hard issues politicians should talk about. Thank you.
Bravo, bravo, bravo! While I am across the Atlantic, in Montana, I cheer you and applaud your message. Some may minimize the work of helping women and young girls accept their bodies, and themselves, as trivial. But I see it as anything but. I see body image issues as one of the greatest stumbling blocks affecting women today: we can’t be the mothers, wives, women, or world leaders we wish to be if we are mired in low self esteem and body hatred. The idea that we have to be stick thin, forever youthful, and perfectly toned to be acceptable keeps us trapped, anxious, and focused on things that ultimately don’t matter—our appearance—and distracted from focusing on what does: using our talents and passions to make our individual mark on the world. I’ve met very few women who are unaffected by thoughts about their bodies or their appearance. And I see how this preoccupation is passed down, to the watchful eyes of the next generation. This issue will continue to affect all women: our daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters, unless we embrace it as our greatest opportunity: an opportunity to get it right. When I think about the vast amounts of time, money and energy that women expend towards dieting or trying to force their bodies into an ideal, I can’t help but wonder: What could those women do if those energies were, instead, channeled to what really mattered? I imagine those women could change the world. It’s my desire to make this happen. I created First Ourselves, http://www.firstourselves.com, to encourage women to put their self care at the top of their to-do list; to love their bodies and feel beautiful; to mother themselves as well as they mother their children and families. Thank you for encouraging women and girls to do likewise. Best,Karly Randolph Pitman
It’s about time that politicians spoke about real life issues, such as eating disorders and self harm. Day in and day out real people suffer from these issues.
Thank you