Music has always been the number one way I express myself. There really is a song for everything.

My daughter is a huge Melanie Martinez fan and I have become one through her listening to the music so often.

She has one song called “Mrs. Potato Head” that has been stuck in my head for days. I originally posted about it on my personal Facebook page but decided to make a blog post about it too because I really feel it’s an important issue.  In short, the song is about using plastic surgery to feel beautiful and the video enforces that it’s not a good idea. (as I interpret it) “If you’re not born with it, you can buy a couple ornaments….” “Don’t be dramatic, it’s only some plastic. No one will love you if you’re unattractive…”

It’s important to me, not only as a Coach, but even more so as a mom, to make sure that my message is coming across clearly. When I talk to people about my journey with Beachbody and how far I’ve come it’s always about being healthy. I talk about how I’m stronger, more confident, my blood work has come back amazing, I haven’t caught the colds that are flying around, etc. For some people to get healthier they do need to lose weight, but that is part of becoming HEALTHY!

Beauty is not a cookie cutter thing. What some people find beautiful is repulsive to others.  I spent most of my teenage years trying to be what I saw on the TV or on magazine covers. Thinking I was never enough: I wasn’t skinny enough, my skin wasn’t clear enough, my forehead wasn’t small enough….to be honest I still feel this way sometimes. But I’m saying ENOUGH!!!!!

I have always made a point to let my daughter know that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. We need to make sure that our children not only hear this from us, but really believe it! We are in an image age more than ever as social media has saturated the globe making selfies one of the biggest forms of self-expression. (Don’t believe me? Check out my FB page. I love selfies) But by participating in these activities we are putting ourselves out there to be ridiculed. There are certainly plenty of adult bullies, but we need to give our kids the tools to handle this as well.

“It’s such a waste when little girls grow into their mother’s face. But little girls are learning how to cut and paste. And pucker up their lips until they suffocate…”

For my kids now….they aren’t allowed to have any social media. (Yeah I know, I’m a big meanie. Just ask my soon to be 12 year old)  In the time I am making them wait I am (I hope) showing them through other examples how to handle when they are allowed to have social media accounts. But this is only a small part of the bigger issue.

Foster in your kids and yourself a strong sense of self esteem. Lead by example. If your kid sees you looking in the mirror making faces and hears you saying “I’m so fat!” they’re going to pick up on that and start questioning themselves. Choose your words carefully. Speak about healthy and unhealthy versus skinny and fat. Not every large person is unhealthy and not every skinny person is the picture of health.

We’re all just trying to do the best we can. Show someone some love today, and then show some to yourself.

This video has some graphic surgery scenes. Just giving a heads up if you’re sensitive to that: