Thigh gaps and fashion shows

     Yesterday was a big day in the fashion world. Yes, a really, really big day. It was the annual Victoria Secret Fashion Show. 
     Guess how much I care? Honestly, I've never paid much attention to this stuff my entire life. But I'm starting to care, only because it's becoming obvious to me that girls are paying attention. A lot of attention. Victoria Secret must realize this, too, because flipping through the images, the grown-up models looked they were attempting to mimic fashion styles of middle school girls — long, colorful socks; bright knit hats and mylar balloons. Girls — very young girls — are watching...and being marketed to, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. It's not just this particular event, but to it all. 
     The barrage of visual and stereotypical messages of objectified and sexualized women. And girls. I had to gringe as my daughter, age 11, and her 9-year-old brother read the headlines of the Cosmopolitan sitting in full view in our small-town grocery store line just yesterday: 
~ 52 Holy Sh*t Sex Moves
~ Bedside Astrologer: The best sex position for your sign
~ Happy Naughty New Year
~ HOT looks: The best beauty steals under $50
    To be fair, I'm all about FREE press, and I realize Cosmo serves a fairly specific audience largely filled with insecure women who have been fed the world's twisted lies about how youthful, physical "beauty" and sex empower to the female gender when thrown around recklessly, primarily outside the marriage. Heck, I WAS that girl, once upon a time. 
     The reality is that our world doesn't just send out this message, it hammers our girls over the head with it, so it's no wonder they are confused, bitter, angry, hurt, etc. 
     I am tired of the message that is already going out to my children about women. Which is if you have any of the following, you aren't beautiful: wrinkles, gray hair, cellulite, flat chest, large chest, a smidge of fat, touching thighs, drooping.....anything, etc., etc. 
     It's not about the Victoria Secret event. Or the runway. Or the advertisements. Or the magazines. Or the movies. It's impossible to isolate one thing. Because it's everything in American culture and media that frames a female's value in a physical, usually sexual, often demeaning context. 
     I honestly think it's harder for women in many ways than it was when I was becoming an adult, some 22 years ago. Because of Photoshop and because of social media and because of greed. That makes me incredibly sad and angry for my daughter and her generation. Because just one "thing" can drive a poor demoralized girl to a social media "support group" that endorses disgusting lies, like you are a better person with a thigh gap. And it's in these places girls might find their worth and encouragement, because someone will feed their hungry souls and pay attention to them. 
     Of course, I realize it's unhealthy and addictive. I don't blame the girls. Oh, it makes my heart heavy the lies they believe. The lies I fell for, and sometimes still get caught up in.
     The question is....what are we going to do about it?
     At our board retreat in October, words of this unrealistic standard "the thigh gap" hung heavy in the air, and God convicted us to begin seeing thigh gaps like He does. It was with that we began to find more girls to share their anti-thigh gap stories in order to publicize Mighty Strong Girls. Today, we are releasing the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series. You can help us share this message by forwarding it on social media and getting the word out about true beauty!
     Here's the video below, which is also embedded in our website and linked to the QR code in the advertisement.
     I'm so thankful for many other organizations that are speaking out, and I'm also humbled and blessed to be part of a media alternative. A magazine. I'm giddy that I get to work with girls who are aware of the messages and working hard to ignore them. They are choosing to not watch or read, as much as they can. Not only that, they are helping to create an alternative — a magazine that questions it all and promotes the positive, true, encouraging, healing stories and images. Real girls. Diverse bodies. Beauty. Beauty as God designed, created and intended. 
     As my husband would say: boo-ya!