If You Have A Daughter.....

 If you have a daughter, there is a show I want you to watch on Oprah's channel OWN. It is premiering on October 20th at 9 PM but I am sure it will repeat. I think this is a must watch for our young women. It is a Sundance, award winning documentary  called Miss-representation. It is about the sexualizing of woman in our society, and how it affects our girls. If you have been looking for a opening to talk with your daughters about how boys see girls and men see women here is your chance. There are many teens that are interviewed, who share quite honestly the pressure they feel to act and look sexy. I am sure there will be many segues to talk about sexting, putting out sexy photos on facebook and on other social networking sites, and how it feels to be a girl in today's world. These kinds of shows don't come around often, so take advantage of this opportunity.

For some of you just convincing your daughter to sit and watch with you might be a challenge. Bribe them, pay them, do what you have to do to entice them to watch this show with you. " You might say: " I heard about this documentary on tonight that is about teen girls and expectations about sex, and their bodies, and how boys see them. I think it is a really important show and I would love to watch it with you. I think I don't get sometimes, how hard it can be to be a girl in today's world, with all the pressures that are out there for you. I know it will help me, and I think you might like it too." Be prepared for resistance, and have a game plan to deal with that. Do not go negative. If she doesn't want to watch it, fine, just put it on yourself and watch. At the least you will find out some things that will help you.

As you watch with your daughter, try to refrain from asking questions. Share your thoughts, and either they will share too, or they won't. Don't go into lecture mode, whatever you do. Better to say nothing than something preachy. Most importantly it will give them a framework for understanding what the culture seems to set women up for these days. Here is the website with a preview trailer. This might help set the stage. Girl Power!!!!


http://missrepresentation.org/