Discovery Girls, a well-regarded tween magazine, claims to support 8- to 12-year-olds in cultivating a “positive sense of self.” However, the latest (April/May) issue features a three-page spread on swimsuits, providing advice on how to choose “the perfect suit for your body type!”
If my daughter, an 8-year-old in the magazine’s target demographic, were to read this, she might encounter tips like:
- “If your body is straight up and down, try adding curves with asymmetric straps and vibrant prints!” or “Opt for contrasting piping to create the illusion of a nipped-in waist.”
- “If you carry weight around your midsection, busy geometric patterns can draw the eye inward!”
- “For those who are curvier on the bottom, draw attention upward with bold details on top!”
This is frustrating. My daughter’s only criteria for swimwear revolve around her enjoyment of the patterns, colors, and fun elements—essentially, what she thinks looks cute. She possesses no self-consciousness about her body in a swimsuit, and I’d like to keep it that way as long as possible.
There’s no need for her to worry about finding a suit that “adds curves” to her perfectly normal prepubescent figure. She shouldn’t feel pressured to consider whether her waist looks small enough or if her naturally round tummy is something to distract from. And I find it especially troubling that the illustration accompanying this article features a girl with African-American features, further complicating the message.
It seems so evident that, rather than fostering healthy body image, pieces like this could lead girls who previously felt confident about their bodies to suddenly scrutinize themselves, causing them to check if their rear end appears larger and whether they should “try a swim skirt.”
Magazines require extensive work to develop; numerous individuals from writing to editing to production are involved in shaping each article. How can such an oversight occur? Catherine Lee, the magazine’s publisher, expressed her bewilderment in an open letter on the Discovery Girls Facebook page, stating:
“It’s hard for me to believe that an article so contrary to our magazine’s mission could have been published. […] The article was meant to guide girls toward cute, fun swimsuits that boost confidence, not to focus on body image in a negative way. No one understands better than Discovery Girls how impressionable our girls are at this age, and we are ALWAYS mindful of this.”
I’m still puzzled, as this doesn’t seem to reflect a consistent mindfulness toward the impressionability of young girls, Ms. Lee.
Moreover, this isn’t the first instance where a company claiming to empower girls has issued misguided body advice to elementary-aged children. Last year, I wrote about a similar misstep by the Lego Friends magazine, which provided “beauty tips” for haircuts based on face shapes for ages 5 to 12. My daughter read that piece and immediately asked if she had an oval face because, unlike other shapes that required special haircuts, “almost anything looks great on this face shape!” Following a global backlash, Lego issued an apology.
Here we are again, a year later. We don’t want to keep reiterating this, but we will if necessary, and we’ll do it even more forcefully: “POINTING OUT DIFFERENCES IN GIRLS’ BODIES AND TELLING THEM HOW TO FIX THESE DIFFERENCES IS UNACCEPTABLE.”
Let kids be kids, and let their bodies alone. End of story.
This article was originally published on May 12, 2005.
Summary:
Discovery Girls magazine recently published an article offering swimsuit advice based on body types for girls aged 8 to 12, which has raised concerns about promoting negative body image. The article suggests ways to alter perceptions of body shapes rather than encouraging confidence in children’s natural forms. The publisher has acknowledged the oversight, but this incident reflects a troubling trend of body image commentary directed at young girls.
Keyphrase:
Body image in young girls
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