Dr. Nicole LaVoi, lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, discusses the impact of media images on tween girls’ self esteem in a recent piece in the Star Tribune.
In the article, “How parents can help tween girls develop healthy self-esteem,” LaVoi notes, “As girls are leading up to adolescence, they experience a loss of voice. They feel less confident and experience a loss of self-esteem. It’s troubling because they can be confronted with hundreds of images every day in print, broadcast and social media on the importance of looking a certain way, rather than on being smart or skilled.”
LaVoi also suggests that parents can mitigate the effects of media imagery by focusing on their daughters’ effort and persistence, instead of their looks.