101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body [Paperback]

Brenda Lane Richardson (Author), Elane Rehr (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 31, 2001

Sit up straight so your tummy doesn't hang out. Thin is always in. You look so much prettier when you smile. Guys like girls with big boobs. Now that you've got your period, you's better be careful. I'd kill to have legs like yours.

With negative messages bombarding our girls on a daily basis -- from misguided adults, from peers, from the media -- how can our daughters possibly feel good about their bodies? While you may not single-handedly be able to change society there are ways to make sure that your daughter's sense of self is strong and sustaining. In fact, this hands-on guide offers 101 ways!

In 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, two mothers -- one a clinical psychologist, the other an award-winning journalist -- have teamed up to provide parents with practical ideas tailored to girls from birth through the teenage years. These initiatives inform parents and encourage them to take active roles in helping their daughters develop confidence, treat their bodies with love and respect, and make peace with their unique builds so that they can revel in a sense of femaleness and physical competence.

Psychologically astute and fun to read, this proactive guide will help define a new generation of healthy girls. There's no better time than now to help our daughters, young and growing, learn to love their bodies.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body, Brenda Lane Richardson and Elane Rehr have written the definitive book about body esteem for girls. These two mothers--one a journalist, the other a clinical psychologist--don't simply snarl about the ways society chips away at a young girl's self esteem via her body image. Instead, they offer fresh, practical strategies for parents to teach daughters to view their bodies lovingly in the face of enormous pressure. Body esteem, say the authors, "allows a girl to view her internal strengths, rather than her appearance, as a projection of her worth and to retain an image of her body as a whole rather than a package of distorted parts that must be dressed up and displayed to their best advantage." Each chapter is packed with specific suggestions about how parents can reframe a daughter's media-driven desire for a perfect body into a process of accepting her unique build. Among the topics: living in a fat-phobic culture, teaching body comfort with babies, why a mother's body esteem is critical, how dads make a difference, brilliant "Barbie" strategies, a crash course in the perils of puberty, the trap of "emotional eating," talking about pregnancy and periods, and how to keep her body from harm. The bold and wise counsel in this book should be read by every parent of a growing girl. --Barbara Mackoff

From Publishers Weekly

Journalist Richardson and clinical psychologist Rehr, both mothers of teenage girls, closely examine the experience of girls today, and offer suggestions for counteracting the media, fashion trends, the lure of Barbie and other cultural input that may negatively impact a girl's confidence and self-image. Not surprisingly, much of the book concerns weight issues; models are 23% thinner than the average female, the authors point out, yet many girls measure themselves by this standard. Along with suggesting that parents limit the presence of fashion magazines in the house ("OK, call us humorless, but... we see fashion magazines as potentially dangerous to your daughter's health"), Richardson and Rehr advise mothers to consider the detrimental messages sent when they criticize their own bodies, and fathers to focus on female attributes other than size and shape. Besides much practical information, such as teaching girls to read a map ("to raise a daughter who moves through the world with self-confidence") or encouraging participation in sports, the authors also urge parents to delve into their own feelings about the female body. This may require some soul-searching particularly for moms about such topics as menstruation, childbirth and their own body images. Although primarily addressing mothers, the authors consider the enormous impact men have on their daughters' self-image and offer plenty of tips for fathers. Thought-provoking and navigable, the book will help parents reassess their own attitudes about the female body while imparting crucial values to their daughters.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1 edition (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060956674
• ISBN-13: 978-0060956677
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A TREMENDOUS BOOK FOR BOOSTING SELF-ESTEEM! September 11, 2001

By Sandra D. Peters

Format:Paperback

Few parents with teen-aged daughters escape the frustrations of dealing, at least on occasion, with a daughter who feels she should look like the image on a fashion magazine. At this trying point in a girl's life, a great many insecurities can arise ranging from peer pressure to lack of confidence and self-esteem about appearance. Through the media, i.e. television, movies and fashion magazines, teens are often programmed to think only thin is acceptable and unless we have a the face and body of a fashion model, we will never be accepted and never be noticed.

This book is an excellent source for working with your daughter to help her understand that true beauty lies within, not on the surface. Each of us has our own unique beauty and style and rather than try to cultivate what others have achieved, we should be individualistic and cultivate what we have been given. This is a book where Mom's and Dad's can both play an active role in dealing with the often frustrating day-to-day problems of a teen-aged daughter, and by doing so, helping her feel more confident, happy and healthy, both emotionally and physically.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good start for most parents. August 20, 2001

By A. Bouardi

Format:Paperback

Anyone who is awake knows the absurd media frenzy which objectifies girls and women today more than ever. This book is an excellent helpful tool which gives certain ideas which are simple enough, but that most parents don't even realise could help with their child (boy or girl, really)and their self-possession and self-esteem. I particularly enjoyed sections dealing with allowing the child to express their real and honest feelings rather than feeling forced to express politeness even to people who impose themselves on your child. These are lessons your daughters will keep with them for life and lead a more powerful and happier life with them. Definitely check the book out!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book if you have a daughter! March 19, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I read about this book in People magazine and thought it sounded good. Wow! I want to buy this book for everyone I know who has a daughter. Starting from babies and moving through each stage of a girl's life, this book gives sound, quick advice in a very easy to read format to help girls love their bodies. There is also a great section for Dads too. If you have a daugher. Get this book. It is a must read.