Redefining Beauty - Outcomes Beyond Measure

Tuesday I shared about the "Redefining Beauty" Girls Inc. program, which I recently facilitated at a local elementary school. The girls participating in the program came from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. I could not say that conflict did not happen (after all, I was working with 9 to 11 year-old girls)! However, the positive outcomes of the program were phenomenal.

My co-facilitator and I made great progress with the girls. With the support of Girls Inc. and school staff, we built trust, and saw girls open up around the activities and topics. We challenged their understanding of beauty, and took advantage of many teachable moments.


The last session, the girls were charged with performing one to two minute commercials about themselves, sharing "What makes me beautiful?", "What makes me unique?" and other things they wanted to tell their peers. The girls had the previous session to plan, write and practice their commercials. I was so impressed with how focused the girls were during this exercise. They took the challenge seriously, and they really wanted to share about themselves to peers and trusted adults!


Some of my favorite moments from the program were:

• One girl came to us defensive and highly confrontational. When presenting her commercial, she acknowledged that people do not get to know her, and she suggested this might be different if she changed her tone of voice and behavior. This was great progress! She acknowledged a challenge she faced, the girls saw her own up to it, and the group validated her for sharing her feelings and reinforced the beautiful and unique person she is.
• Another girl was considerate and shy. When it came to writing her commercial, she shared about a (non-contagious) disease she had. While in some settings, she might have wanted to hide it, in Girls Inc. we had an accepting environment where she felt comfortable owning her disease and sharing about it with her peers.
• During one session, we had a discussion about how to respond to someone who criticizes outward appearances. The girls had wonderful, thoughtful ideas, such as: "Say something nice about her in return." "Ignore the comment." "Think about something you do well (inner beauty) and share why you are proud of it."
  

As you can see, the girls were truly remarkable, and the "Redefining Beauty" curriculum helped affirm their self-confidence and enabled them to validate real beauty in themselves and others. I am so glad I have the opportunity to be a role model for girls, and that Women's Fund supports gender-specific programming like "Redefining Beauty" for girls.