I had forgotten about this Dove commercial, until it popped up in one of my friend’s status bars on Facebook (thanks, Kelly!).  Watch carefully.  The transformation doesn’t end after all the makeup’s put on…deformities must be erased with PhotoShop.

What hope do our daughters have, when these ideals are plastered everywhere–billboards, magazines, and commercials?  How can we teach them that those faces and bodies they see are unreal, unattainable, and how did we get so far off track?

I’m putting Liliana in a dance class this fall, simply because she loves to dance, but I’m fully aware that dance and gymnastics (as sports) seem to foster body-image problems, and I’m loathe to have her surrounded by such lies.  As a mother, I can only do my best at home, stressing kindness (for inner well-being) and healthiness (for outer well-being).  All the rest is up to her–how she processes the false messages from the bigger world out there.

It’s enough to make my toenails curl.  My sweet baby!