Does anyone remember, SEVENTEEN Magazine? I haven’t thought about that magazine for about….17 years. I enjoyed reading the pages and catching up on my crushes. Josh Hartnett! I admit that I would compare myself to all those images of perfection and style even though I was somewhat old enough to know that no one looks that good all the time! And I always felt I needed to have this and I needed to have that. Am I alone in this?
Instead of SEVENTEEN Magazine, it is Instagram, Facebook, Pintrest, the latest post from that really cute everything-put-together mom blogger, the fashion blogger who makes an ugly sweater look desirable, and I don’t even watch TV for advertisers to tell me what I need but if I did, we could count those, too. The point I am trying to make here is, back when I was a young lady I had a handful of magazine subscriptions that I would get each month to tell me what was cool, how to dress, what to ditch, etc. At least, I had a whole month to digest the issue before a new release would hit the mail box or the rack at the Smith’s. Now, all those similar messages are in front of my face hourly by sending updates to my phone or inbox all day long from various social media outlets that are updating new content every day or more. I like getting ideas. I like finding new ways to revamp my old t-shirts. I do. But it comes with a price. I do feel like I need certain things and I feel bummed if someone didn’t like my picture or posted something that hurt my feelings. Don’t we all like to have approval and feel a little slighted when we don’t get it?
My Daughter entered 7th grade this year. I won’t let her have instagram, which I must be the only uncool mom out there, because “EVERYONE has instagram, Mom!” 7th grade is hard enough trying to navigate class schedules, locker combinations, sports, and that fun ‘P’ word, puberty. I don’t want another outlet for my little lady to compare herself to or think the new super food salad post is something that she must include in her diet or feel rejected because someone didn’t like her post. But at some point, I am going to need to help direct her to a healthy path of social media and using her own voice to share her opinions. This is why it is so important to share two new programs we are offering at Aviva Woman. We wanted something to help our ladies become leaders, a program to help her discover and use her own voice, a program that encourages her to Be and Love. The GLOW Leadership programs (Girls Leading Our World). GLOWing Up for our 5th & 6th grade ladies and You GLOW Girl! for our 7th & 8th grade ladies. Please share if you know a young lady that might be interested in attending this after school program. It begins October 25 and concludes with a service project on December 13. Also, you can read more about the registration process.
