When I was 13, I was your typical teen…boy crazy; spent hours on the phone with my friends; I even planned my wedding with Ben Affleck. Like a lot of teens then and now, I had issues with my weight. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a fat blob looking back at me. But in reality, I was thin…skinny even. But I didn’t see it. I saw every little imperfection that my 13 year old body held. And because of my distorted image of myself, I started taking diet pills. And thus began my downward spiral with eating issues.
When the people at Dove asked me to join the Dove Movement for Self Esteem, I couldn’t wait to join in. Dove has made the commitment to help girls and women build positive self esteem. They want to give women and girls the tools to take action and inspire one another to reach their full potential. Join Dove in their Self Esteem Weekend. Here is a little info about that weekend:
- Everyone has the opportunity to make a difference in a young girl’s self esteem
- Dove is uniting women across the country – individuals, partners and grassroots organizations.
- Providing the next generation of women with the tools to build a positive relationship with beauty and reach their full potential.
- Join us for the Dove Self Esteem Weekend on October 22nd-24th
- One hour of your time makes a world of difference
- There are a variety of ways to get involved
- National Partners: Participate in one of our national partner events: Girl Scouts of the USA, The Boys & Girls Club of America, Girls, Inc.
- Local Girls Organizations: Host a self-esteem building event in your community. Register your event on our map at dovemovement.com
- Individuals: Download free self-esteem building activities and spend an hour with a girl in your life. Register your event on our map at dovemovement.com
- Show your support online
- Likes us on Facebook
- Tweet your support on the #dovedifference hash tag
- Find an event to join on Dovemovement.com
Now, 16 years later and overweight, I can honestly say that I am the happiest I have ever been. Do I wish I could lose some weight? Sure. But it is not the center of my universe like it was when I was 13. If I could go back and talk to myself 16 years ago, I would definitely tell myself that there ARE people out there that will love and accept you for who you are on the inside. Not for what size jeans you wear.
Learn more at dovemovement.com
How would you like to win a Dove Self Esteem Weekend Kit like what I received? In this kit I had Dove body wash, Dove conditioner, and a necklace. To enter the giveaway you must answer one simple question….
The giveaway is open to US residents and it will run from now until October 24th 10pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using the site, random.org.
I was teased a lot all through school.Being soft hearted I did a lot of crying once alone in my bedroom…If I was 13 again and knew what I know now I would tell my younger self that the teasing has nothing to do with you ,that there is nothing wrong with you. That the reason people tease you is because they themselves feel bad and want to make other people hurt too.
I was haunted by cruel words 30 year's AFTER I got out of school.Then I gave it all to God,He showed me things in the Bible I'd never seen before and I read a lot of self help book's.Now that I know the truth I feel so much better.(Thank you Jesus!)
It didn't make me bitter,it made me better.
Terri
rainbowstar2842@msn.com
At 13, I wish knew that being a "grown-up" isn't as fun as it appears.
ashouie2010@yahoo.com
At 13, I wish I would of known that most boys were jerks, and that it would take meeting a TON of them to find the right guy!
jellibeenz1978@hotmail.com
This is a very serious thing to me…I know now what I wish I knew at 13 was that you do not have to live to impress your peers and change who you are to please them or get along with them.
I had rough teen years due to that complex.
What I wish I would have known at 13 was that all the kids who picked on me would grow up to be losers! They were the ones with the problems, not me and I shouldn't have let it bother me because now I have still not "healed" from it and they remember nothing!
katie at honorsocietylive dot com
Very nice post!