plan-uk.org/act-for-girls/international-day-of-the-girl
I thought this looked like a brilliant and sadly much needed campaign.
I was afflicted by not feeling like my body image was 'right,' especially oddly at university where everyone I met was style obsessed and I had naively thought it was all about the studying. Doing an art subject seemed to add an extra layer of looking and speaking the part that did unnerve me and knock my confidence at times. It didn't stop me but I know I didn't "sell" myself or believe in myself as much as a result and was quite low at times.
It shouldn't have. But I do feel some girls are especially vulnerable to feeling like they don't fit the feminine ideal more than ever these days. I've noticed from what a few friends have said about their girls that in yr2 they're becoming extremely bothered about self image. (I have a boy who is less bothered that most about how he looks so much so that he really couldn't have cared less when I forgot non uniform day recently and he was the only one)
A mum friend was describing how her daughter didn't like to do the tik tok and make up stuff that some friends were starting to get into in y5 and was being left out of group social media and other activities as a result. However this was resulting in low self esteem and feeling low as her friendship circle had diminished. I find it sad that children can't just be kids without the pressure to look and act a certain way.