The Insecurities of a Nine Year Old

A nine year old girl should never have to feel insecure about herself-
And yet we see it more and more each day. It just isn't fair! A nine year old should be worrying about cooties, figuring out what their favorite color is, getting every Hannah Montana poster known to man, and showing off their scraped up knees, not their self-image!
I say this because I notice my beautiful, innocent 'baby' sister is making comments that I feel a little girl should never make, though it is widely accepted in our society today.
Upon seeing a picture of herself, Faith Anne promptly comments "Ew! Delete it. I look fat!"
Later that day, I take a few pictures of the two of us, as we often do when we are hanging out together.
I take a picture or two, and then notice Faith Anne..
She puts her hands over her tummy and pushes is in with her arms- with a worried, almost scared, look on her face.
My first thought was that she had a stomach ache- But I caught her eye, and that uncomfortable look of distress.. I know it all too well. She did not have a stomach ache. She was squirming, uncomfortable in her own skin.. Examining, poking and pinching, at her own body- and not liking it.

"Just take them of only our faces, okay?" She said, smiling, but with the most concerned look in her eyes I think I've ever seen.
I just about lost it.. but didn't let it show.
"But you're so beautiful, and you look so cute!"
She gave me her "Cut the crap, I'm not an idiot" look, which she gives when she knows we are trying to trick her into believing something she knows can't possibly be true.
"I'm serious! You look gorgeous!"
"No. i don't want to be in the pictures, then."
Needless to say, the rest of the pictures were taken almost exclusively of our faces.
How can a nine year old be so concerned about the way she looks that she doesn't even want to be seen in a picture? What has the world come to when a little girl can't stand the look of herself? It is so sad. I am at a loss of what to do. I want to tell her that it doesn't matter what he world thinks, and to love herself for who she is on the inside.
But how can I possibly do this, when I can't even believe or do it myself?
You learn by others' actions, not by others' words.




The facts:
37% of females age 11, 42% of females age 13 and 48% of females age 15 say they need to lose weight.
Health and Welfare Canada. The health of Canada's youth, views and behaviours of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds from 11 countries. (1992). Anonymous. Ottawa ON: Minister of Supply and Services..

47% of females age 11, 58% of females age 13, and 55% of females age 15 say they would change how they look if they could.
Health and Welfare Canada. The health of Canada's youth, views and behaviours of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds from 11 countries. (1992). Anonymous. Ottawa ON: Minister of Supply and Services.

Two Canadian schools were surveyed, and 50% of girls with HEALTHY WEIGHTS were dieting because they saw themselves as "overweight".
(CMAJ).

81% of 10-year-olds restrict eating (diet). At least 46% of 9-year-olds restricted eating.
Mellin, Scully and Irwin, Paper presented at American Dietetic Assoc. Annual Meeting. (Berkley study)


52% of girls begin dieting before age 14.
Johnson, et al, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1984, 13.

71% of adolescent girls want to be thinner despite only a small proportion being over a healthy weight.
Paxton et al (1991). Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20, 361-379.

The fear of being fat is so overwhelming that when young girls were given surveys, they stated that they are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of cancer, nuclear war or losing their parents.


These are some SCARY statistics. Now I'm not saying, by any means, that Faith has a problem with eating or anything like that- she seems to be fine with it. Nor am I saying that all little girls are going to have a problem like this!
I just think it's so sad what has been drilled into their minds at such a young age.
Childhood should be about being a child!
Gosh, leave something for those teenage years, will ya?

...Just a thought.