| by Dannah Gresh, Founder of True Girl |
Does your daughter know the ugly truth about the beautiful images she sees every day?
On a daily basis, we’re bombarded with images of so-called “picture-perfect” women. But does your daughter realize it’s often untruthful? Tween favorites like Taylor Swift appear all over the Internet in glamorous outfits few of us could ever afford. One celebrity reported that her make-up for a performance took ten hours to apply. Another admitted that it took two hours to apply her make-up for a photo that claimed she wasn’t wearing any! And that’s before lights and Photoshop.
Tween girls are literal learners. They need to see it to believe it, so we invested a significant amount of time and money to create an educational video that reveals the ugly truth about beauty. We took one of our True Girl worship leaders and put her through the process of make-up, lights, and Photoshop. Moms say it’s one of the most eye-opening parts of our live event. One mother told us this:
"My oldest daughter was literally mad . . . She said 'Mom how dare they do that to people!' It was eye opening to her."
-Beth Faber
While we’d like to keep this as a surprise for everyone who attends our events, we’d like it even more if it could be used to rescue girls from all the impact the beauty lies could have in their lives. So, here it is, along with a conversation guide.
Five Ways To Talk With Your Daughter About True Girl’s True Beauty Video:
1. Ask questions. Ask her how she feels about what she has just seen. Ask her what she would tell a friend who felt bad after looking at perfected images. How can she celebrate her inner qualities? Why does that matter?
2. Add your voice. Tell your daughter how you believed a lot of the lies about beauty and what impact it had on you. Invite her to talk to you if she feels insecure about how she looks and tell her you’ve been there.
3. Add the voice of other younger, “cooler” role models. Sometimes it takes the help of another trusted voice entering the conversation to help your daughter learn Truth. If your daughter has a mentor, ask her to talk about beauty lies. If she doesn’t find her one or give her access to young Christian women who talk about it, like our True Girl touring team.
4. Play “Spot the Photoshop.” Help her remember the facts by playing a game of “spot the photoshop.” See who can spot lighting, coloring, skin tone, and other changes in photos.
5. Connect the Dots. In the days or weeks to come, as she spots the lies of Photoshop help her to see that it’s about consumerism. Pull back the curtain to see that it’s not really about helping women feel better about themselves, but selling products and making money.
Our True Girl theme verse:
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31,32
Mom, the best way to teach your daughter to live like an authentic True Girl is to live like an authentic True Woman. And to do that, you've got to get your life lined up with the Truth of the Bible. Listen to Dannah Gresh every weekday on Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth's Revive Our Hearts podcast. The program features biblical teaching, interviews that offer godly advice, and other opportunities to abide in God's Word.
