Twitter Talk Recap

For those of you who wanted to participate in the twitter but couldn't, here is a quick recap. We had a great group hanging out with us for an hour and talking about some good points when it comes to body image. Let us know if you have any questions. And make sure to follow Proud & Pretty on Twitter! @ProudandPretty

Q1: Approx. 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies. Are you apart of the 91%
--- @KickAssAries: I was but I'm not anymore I've learned to accept myself for who I am and what I look like and I'm proud of that :)
---@KlassySingleMom: No, but there are things I want to change for health purposes to feel better. #PPPinkWeek15
---@kduhh: definitely was a part of that statistic but through healthy eating and working out, I am no longer!

Q2: Do you feel like the media affects the way you feel about your body? How and Why? #PPPinkWeek15
---@DancingJenn13: kind of. 97% of models in magazines/on TV are super skinny and tan. Few have curves and it makes me self-conscious
---@KickAssAries: sometimes. I'll see pictures of girls in magazines and I'll look at my body and be self conscious .But I know it's not real
---@ShoniJay: most definitely. I mean look at the all of the people who've participate in the Kardashian lip challenge
---@kduhh: it's difficult to live up to the media's expectations of a "perfect" body when everyone is so different. #PPPinkWeek15
---@ChelsieAPrince: I catch myself having negative thoughts after looking at mags! Then I remind myself that I'm happy w/ what I have.
---@ChelsieAPrince: the media can play nasty tricks on your mind causing you to do horrible things to your body! #PPPinkWeek15

Q3:How can we change the way the media portrays girls&women? #PPPinkWeek15
---@StephanieZiajka: By vocally objecting to their version + subsequent promotion of the perf body type. Bodies are different, all beautiful.
---@SMarieM: I don't necessarily think we can change the media I think we more need to change ourselves by being confident in who we are
---@shonijay: continue to be the voice of reason and support organizations such as Proud and Pretty. Teach our young to love themselves.
---@KickAssAries: nothing is ever going to change the way media portrays women we can only hope we can change it one women at a time
---@kduhh: we also need to stop supporting companies/mags that support photoshopping and editing real bodies. #PPPinkWeek15

Q4: Do you know what positively affects body image? #PPPinkWeek15
---@SMarieM: believing in yourself and being positive. Like @ChandraCMogan said positivity and what surrounds you goes a long way
---@ChandraCMogan: an awesome support system!! #PPPinkWeek15
---@ChelsieAPrince: for younger girls its future educational plans, family support and participation in sports. #PPPinkWeek15
---@ChelsieAPrince: 
---@ShoniJay: being positive yourself..feelings ideas and thoughts are contagious. When your positive all the time others follow suit

Q5: Social Media stalking often leads to you feeling bad about yourself/body. True or False #PPPinkWeek15
---@DancingJenn13: I use to stalk my old friends account because I really looked up to her, but after a while I realized it was unhealthy and I let the friendship and her account go from my life
---@shonijay: 100% true! I follow a lot of fitness pgs and often I find myself reverting back to old ways b/c "I'll never look like them
---@SMarieM: 100% true I immediately feel bad about myself
---@kduhh: True! I find myself comparing not only my body but my life to others and I feel inadequate. #PPPinkWeek15 #bingestalking 
---@M_Star_B: I agree! I look at my news feed daily and even my old photos and I start comparing myself n get insecure

Q6: What are your tips for feeling good in your own skin? #PPPinkWeek15
---@ChelsieAPrince: eat healthy most of the time, find fun workouts, hang w/ friends, be involved w/ @ProudandPretty! Health+Happy=SelfLove
---@SMarieM: finding happiness in yourself and being positive. Be proud and happy because we are all beautiful. Pass that positivity.
---@KlassySingleMom: Positive thoughts and surround yourself with those that love you unconditionally!
---@shonijay: find what makes you happy and just do it. Everyone's always going to have an opinion but it's up to you if you listen.
---@DancingJenn13: if I'm ever feeling down I know I can always talk to my therapist or my good friend

2 hoursI was but I'm not anymore I've learned to accept myself for who I am and what I look like and im proud of that :)

My Eating Disorder...

I never thought I had a problem with my body image until the day I was diagnosed as anorexic. I was diagnosed in middle school and I couldn’t quite grasp the idea that something was wrong with me. I honestly didn’t care, only caring when my therapist called my mom into school and told her the news in front of me as I watched my mom burst into tears. She cried for days and I just sat there watching her. That’s when I started realizing what I looked like in the mirror. I looked sick and pale.

Each therapy session I had to bring home a food journal and write down everything I ate with an adult’s supervision. This food journal made me realize how little I ate during the day. I would take a bite of something then throw it away because it made me sick.

My therapist began to ask me questions about how I thought I looked. I would answer saying my legs feel so heavy, feeling embarrassed to walk in front of the class or sit down because my thighs just felt abnormally huge. Every day I would look in the mirror and I would see myself as being thick, but I wanted to be thin. It was a struggle to find inner peace.

I would hide myself in sweat pants and jackets every day, even on the hottest days. I felt uncomfortable and embarrassed with the way I looked and I couldn’t figure out why. Deep down I knew I was skinny, but I just couldn’t get myself to completely believe it.

It was hard to feel like I wasn’t pretty enough. It took a huge toll on me because I never felt good enough for anyone. I would keep myself isolated because I always felt like others were judging me on how I looked because I always judged myself on how I looked. It was difficult to put myself out there and be okay with who I was.

It took me a long time to find peace with my body. It wasn’t until junior year of high school when I started gaining some weight and trying really hard to help myself get healthy again. I continued to attend therapy sessions because they were helping me realize my beauty and helping me realize that fit is the new skinny.

“Fit is the new skinny” changed my life around. I began to make sure I was eating a lot of protein and getting the necessary nutrition because I wasn’t able to do physical activities until I was healthy again.

To this day, I keep the right balance of working out and eating to help me feel good about myself and help others find their inner beauty.

Corenne Hall, Age 19, Covina CA

Proud to Be Me

Loving myself has been a long time coming! Even though I am still very young, my life has had its ups and downs. My experience with negative body image started at a young age.

It all started around the third grade when I noticed I didn't look like the other girls. I was bigger and a lot shorter. I felt really down and different. I started to become depressed. 

Fast forward to middle school, I chopped off all of my hair to fit in better, my hair was almost to the back of my knees. I started wearing makeup to try and hide myself from the world. Then I joined cheerleading and lost a little weight and grew a few inches. I felt a little better but still not like the thin, tall girls in the magazines. I bleached my whole head and started wearing smaller, more flashier clothes and even more makeup! I was uncomfortable in my own skin, but in my little disguise I felt better. A lot of the bullying eventually stopped. 

I moved and started high-school somewhere new. I had no friends but I knew a few people from elementary. My hair was now about to my shoulders from all the bleaching. I kept on with not being me. By the end of the year I realized this wasn't who I was. I dyed my hair brown and went back to being myself.

Sophomore year I met someone very special to me who helped me find who I am. I made great friends who empowered me, they were strong young women comfortable with themselves and I wanted that. Eventually I decided that I could love myself too! 

Now ending my junior year in high-school I feel a lot better about myself. Even though I have my bad days and I still want to loose some weight, I feel great! I love my body just the way it is! Finally! 

It feels great to love who I’ve become and where I am going with my life! I am Proud of myself, and I feel pretty.

Marina Stone, Age 17, Fontana Ca

The Journey to Loving Me. AS IS!

Once upon a time, B.C. (aka before children), I was pretty, had a nice body, and was so insecure. Due to my lack of confidence and self-worth, I was often looking for ways for people to notice me. I would pile on the makeup, wear as little clothing as I could get away with, and I turned my flirt game up to 100%. The attention that I would get was intoxicating! It was only a temporary high though that required me to do more to get more attention. Consequently, I put myself in some very dangerous and life changing situations. It was very unhealthy, both emotionally and physically.

After I had my second child, I really let myself go and I weighed the most I ever had in my life. No one looked at me anymore; I didn’t even want to look at myself. I desperately needed someone to love me! It was awful and the depression was crippling. When no one wanted me, what was I supposed to do? Where was that attention that I so desperately needed to survive? The answer: I needed to love myself.

I didn’t get there overnight. In fact, it took a LOT of work. I knew that I needed to start by losing weight, so I began by adopting healthier eating habits and increased my activity level (I have lost 30 pounds so far, and probably need to lose an additional 50). I had to stop calling myself fat. I had to stop telling myself that I hated how I looked. I had to smile more. I had to write positive words of affirmations and post them on my mirrors. I had to buy clothes that fit. It wasn’t something that was going to happen on its own, I had to work for it!

Now, I don’t care if people look at me. I don’t care if my selfie gets 100 likes. All that matters is that I love the person that I look at in the mirror. And I love her now more than ever!

I have two sons, ages 12 and 7. They think I am perfect. They think I am beautiful. They don’t ever want me to change. They see everything that I do and hear everything that I say about myself. I don’t want them to grow up with an unhealthy body image, nor do I want them to look at their future wives or daughters negatively. I want them to see that my happiness wasn’t found in material things or temporary validation from others. I want them to see that my happiness came from having confidence in myself, and by being surrounded by those that love me unconditionally.

Kristen B.  Age 34; Cincinnati, Ohio.

Proud & Pretty Rallies for our Bodies

Body Image is definitely a hot topic in today's society but too many people don’t understand what it actually means and how it affects others and themselves. The media contributes to negative body image and it leads to an increase of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Girls are losing their confidence at a young age and the war on their bodies is beginning earlier than ever. We work to help girls understand themselves and what they, and others, are dealing with in today’s society.

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a week long social media campaign, "Pink Week," in order to bring awareness to body image issues. During the week of April 20-25, we will be posting statistics, motivational and inspirational videos, quotes and more to highlight what negatively affects our body image. The social media campaign will focus on body image in the media, eating disorders/depression and becoming confident in your own skin. The campaign will take place on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and right here on Writings in Pink! We encourage you to take action and participate all week long by using the hashtag #PPPinkWeek15 on all your social media platforms.

On Thursday, April 24th at 6:30pm, we will be hosting a Twitter Talk to generate a conversation about body image. Questions and discussion topics will be posted based on the campaign’s main topics. We want you and everyone else who participates to voice your opinions and concerns. We encourage the community to join in on this conversation to bring awareness to the significance of body image and the impact it has on our society by using the hashtag.

On Saturday April 25th from 11am-1pm, a Body Image Rally will take place at the Fontana City Hall to encourage the community to take action against the war on our bodies. The event will begin with a discussion on body image with Proud and Pretty in Pink founders Chelsie Mogan-Prince and Chandra Mogan. Afterwards, the supporters, community members and organization leaders will take to the streets to bring awareness to the issues that surround body image. Posters with facts, statistics and positive encouragements will be distributed to attendees to participate in this curbside rally. Let’s praise them, love them, encourage them, educate them and compliment them. RSVP on the Facebook Event Page, HERE.

We will be having numerous raffles throughout the week for those who participate in the campaign. Join in by using the hash tag #PPPinkWeek15, retweeting, commenting with your opinions and encouraging others to like and follow. For every hashtag, you will be entered to win prizes, including Proud and Pretty merchandise!

Although it is impossible to change the media, we hope to change the way girls look at the media and themselves. Education is the first step toward a positive and happy lifestyle. We hope that we can have some part in that. 

Join us as we rally for bodies during “Pink Week” with Proud and Pretty in Pink!

Follow along on our social media platforms!

Facebook: Proud and Pretty in Pink

Twitter: @Proudandpretty

Instagram: @Proudandpretty

Organized by Kayla Hockman, University of La Verne

Let me be…

Young girls these days are being sent many different messages making it hard for them to be
comfortable with their true self.  It’s obvious that the media wants girls and women to look a certain way.  But there are so many wonderful organizations out there trying to fight this idea and in reality they are also creating confusion and anxiety for young girls.

In 2015 girls don’t know if they should be wearing make up or embracing their “natural” look.  They don’t know if being skinny is a good thing or if it’s frowned upon because that isn’t what “Real Women” look like.  In attempts to make one group feel better about themselves we are creating a negative message and sending it to the opposite group.

If I want to wear make up and I feel good about myself in it, then let me.

If I want to work out and eat right to maintain my idea of a great body, let me.

If I chose to not participate in hours of fitness and restrictive eating, let me.

If I want to wear extensions in my hair and fake lashes on my eyes, let me.

If I want to walk out of the house with messy hair and no make up on, let me.

If I want to love myself for exactly who I am and who I’ve chosen to be, let me.

Source

Stop telling girls that there’s a right way to do things.  Stop telling them that this form of expression is better or worse than that one.  Stop trying to convince them that it’s better to be themselves without giving them the tools to find out who “themselves” actually is.

We want girls to be whoever they want to be and we want to help them figure out who that is.

We hear them as they scream, “JUST LET ME BE!”

Written By:

Chelsie Prince

Founder of Proud & Pretty in Pink