Thursday, February 5, 2009

Raven-Symone


High self-esteem is truly a viable asset to possess and even more important than ever to have these days as society continues to promote a standard of beauty that is not inclusive to everyone. I know personally the feeling you have when living through a period where low self-esteem takes over and hinders you from reaching your full potential. Raven-Symone recently spoke to “Essence.Com” about self-esteem issues among our young ladies. Here is a snippet of that interview.

ESSENCE.COM: You teamed up with Dove to promote healthy body images for young girls after their survey discovered that 70 percent of teen girls feel inadequate. Why is this cause important to you?

RAVEN-SYMONE: I always enjoy helping girls feel comfortable about themselves and I’m thinking about whose watching my projects. I told Dove I wanted to be involved in their initiative. Everyone has their moments when your self-esteem is low. I had people around me who supported me in all of my decisions and who told me the truth and gave me the same tools that we are giving at our workshop. By sharing my story, I hope to inspire.

ESSENCE.COM: And what are some lessons from your life that you hope girls will learn?

RAVEN-SYMONE: Well, what you see in the media is not necessarily how people look. I’ve even airbrushed myself and with that tool, you really question the beauty stereotypes that are out there. At a young age, I’ve always had to hear “you don't look like this or that.” I was confident and had a shield against those negative languages. That’s why I'm excited to be able to sit down with girls and say, “Sweetheart, do you know how many pulls and tugs, and airbrushing, facelifting, tying the eyes on the side of your head it took to look like this?” I want them to have a better depiction and wider definition of beauty.

To read more of the interview, visit www.essence.com.

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