We hear a ton about body positivity these days. It's undoubtedly a great thing, especially for young girls and women who absorb constant messages that their bodies should look a certain way. But these days, there are plenty of other messages out there urging us to celebrate the ways in which we look different. Brooke Shields is the latest celebrity to talk about body positivity and what that means for her as a mother of girls.
She recently spoke with People at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York City and opened up about having conversations about bodies with her daughters, Rowan Francis and Grier Hammond. The girls are 16 and 13 — important ages to help ensure they are receiving those positive messages along with the potentially harmful and unavoidable ones.
As a former model, Brooke has certainly experienced tons of negative body messages. So it makes sense that she wants to ensure her daughters are surrounded by tons of the good stuff, too.
“Their bodies are so important to them,” Shields said, speaking to People at the Glamour Women of the Year awards. “Whatever you say is heard, so you have to really be careful how you say whatever it is you’re saying to girls in particular.” It's definitely a true sentiment and it's wonderful to hear that Shields is absolutely crushing this parenting thing.
The event was hosted by Busy Philipps and was focused on celebrating women, so it made for a great opportunity to talk bodies. “I really have to be like, ‘How would this sound if it was said to me at 13?,’" Brooke went on. A lot of parents don't take the time to think about how their kids absorb what they're saying, but it's a great practice that seems to help the star's kids truly hear her.
The star became famous at just 12 years old, an incredibly vulnerable time to be thrown into the Hollywood lifestyle, so she certainly understands how young girls can be challenged by harmful ideas about their bodies. She elaborated about how she makes clear that differences in bodies are a good thing. “I celebrate the differences in their bodies," she said.
She also said she wants her daughters to stand up for themselves and forget about pleasing the people around them. It's an important lesson for all young girls to learn. Those are powerful words, especially coming from a strong woman like Brooke.
Brooke also opened up about the struggles she's had, too, as a woman. Though the things she mentioned were undoubtedly challenging, they seem to help her explain things to her girls. She wants them to be be able to advocate for themselves, which is something she says she only recently has learned to do.
“I learned to say ‘no’ this year and it came through me saying to my daughters, ‘This does not have to be your problem. You don’t have to take care of everybody all the time.’” For women, that's one lesson that can be really tough to learn.
“You try to teach them to take the high road but at times, you have to say, ‘That did not make me feel good. I didn’t appreciate it. I’m not going to succumb to that level.’” What an empowering message to give to her kids.
The movie star has obviously had many experiences as a model, actress, woman, and mother that make her more than equipped to raise her daughters with a hefty dose of grit. It's wonderful to see her sharing her insights with her girls. Hopefully, they'll take her words to heart.
Both of Brooke's daughters are not often in the public eye. Perhaps that's one reason why the two of them are "confident" and "well-adjusted," which Brooke said when speaking to Porter last year. It's so nice to see your actions as a parent paying off, and having confident kids is the best possible thing to see.
Brooke also said the girls are "much more mature" than she was at their ages and "so much more confident in their own bodies." It's likely a result of all the body positivity she's been instilling in them! I mean, there can really never be too much.
Brooke added, “They have the same stubbornness and strength that I do, but are more well-adjusted. I am jealous as all hell about that. But, of course, I created it.” She absolutely did!
It's great to hear Brooke take some ownership of the fact that those messages go a long way, too. Not only does that have an impact on her girls, but when she shares those thoughts with the world, other parents can learn from what she's doing. Which is awesome because, clearly, it's working.
Brooke has had many struggles with her own self-image, which she has shared in the past. “I had a very strong disconnect to my body,” the actress told Yahoo Lifestyle. “I was the face on the covers, I was the eyebrows or the face or whatever the thing was that people and the press and everybody focused on."
Watching Brooke take her own insecurities and do her best to make sure her daughters don't experience the same thing is absolutely inspiring. Let's hope she keeps talking about it and sharing her experience so that we all might learn a thing or too. Because if anyone knows about body positivity, it's Brooke Shields.
