In today's society, it's truly hard for women to not feel the need to measure themselves to societal expectations, and that includes when it comes to our bodies. This can be detrimental to not only our well-being but to our body image as well. So how do we fight against that? Jenna Bush Hager may not have all the answers, but she certainly has a practice that has made a huge difference in her household.
The 41-year-old recently opened up about how her 10-year-old daughter, Mila, had no idea what a scale was. And you know why? Because Jenna doesn't own one.
The Today show cohost shared how Mila saw a scale for the first time in a friend's bathroom. "Mila was like, ‘What is that?’ Because I don’t own a scale,” Jenna shared. “I don’t want to be beholden to some number on a machine that makes me feel bad.”
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She went on to share that once Mila learned what it was, she started weighing just about everything, including the family cat. Which, in part, shows the significance of Jenna's decision not to have one in their home.
Hoda Kotb pointed out that Jenna's decision was a lesson. "Why would we waste our one precious life thinking about our body not being good enough?" Jenna shared.
She went on to share about how she started struggling with body image when she was around Mila's age. When she was in the fourth grade, her New Year's resolution was to lose weight.
But now that she's a mom, she's become more mindful of the way she is with herself. Jenna shared how she wants to demonstrate more positive self-talk in front of all her kids. One inspiration of that comes from Jenna's mom, who never talked about diet or the way she looked.
“She definitely would never self-hate in front of us," Jenna shared. "I want to make sure I’m modeling that type of love to my kids."
“Mila and I will go for walks, they see me work out, they play sports, I encourage them to stay active, but we’re not sitting around talking bad about ourselves,” she said. “It’s not just about looking skinny or looking a certain way or fitting into your jeans. It’s about feeling healthy all the way around.”
