Fighting Society's Warped Expectations and Objectification of Women

Watch the video here: We are #WomenNotObjects 

When my oldest daughter was barely four, I happened to find her looking in the mirror and sucking in her stomach. I was horrified. Since one of my older sisters had an eating disorder in her late twenties, I felt my family may be prone to developing such an illness. I banned the words "fat" and "diet" from our house. I emphasized the need to make good choices and eat nutritious meals, in order to "be healthy."

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The thought of my girls becoming anorexic still scares me to death. I want them to be confident in who they are and value themselves enough to take good care of their bodies by eating a well-balanced diet, participating in sports and getting adequate rest. I don't want them to base their self-worth on how many likes their selfies get on Instagram or suffer low self-esteem because they don't think they measure up to society's warped expectations of what a female body should (or shouldn’t) look like.

Since there is a history of diabetes and heart disease in our family, I want to provide them with the best start possible, so they could avoid any weight-related health issues down the road. It's a delicate line to walk, trying to foster healthy life-style habits without giving them the impression they need to be a certain body type.

The ability to maintain a healthy body image and strong self-confidence is becoming more and more difficult for many women, due to endless provocative advertisements that objectify females. Even at 40, I find it hard not to compare myself to photo-shopped pictures in advertisements. How are my daughters managing? Not very well, I'd guess.

It's been 10 years and my baby, who is now 14, complained to me just yesterday that she looks pregnant. At 5 feet 4 inches tall and 114 pounds, she is quite slender (as of this month she is now officially taller than me). I explained since she's had a recent growth spurt, it is only natural for her to gain a few pounds. In fact, I worry she doesn’t eat enough.

As someone who has always struggled to maintain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI), I wonder if the example I set for my children has been good enough. I have tried very hard to stop body shaming myself and adopt the mindset of the Body Positive Movement as explained in a video by Marie Southard Ospina and Bustle featured on Everyday Feminism Magazine. I want to exude confidence and show my girls I am still capable of looking and feeling good despite carrying "extra" weight.

Madonna Badger in interview with Matt Lauer on Today.

"Objectifying women is really up there with inequality of women," said Manhattan advertising executive Madonna Badger on Jan. 26, 2016, in an interview with Matt Lauer of TODAY.

After losing her family (three daughters and her parents) in a tragic house fire on Christmas Day in 2011, Badger tells Lauer she is taking on the fight against the objectification of women in marketing and advertising. She is redirecting her energy into a new campaign, #WomenNotObjects, that has been on her mind for years.

"We talked about what innovation and marketing really meant," said Badger, regarding the Women's Wear Daily Beauty CEO Summit in 2007 and 2009. "It’s no longer this old paradigm of filling the consumer with shame and anxiety. You know, ‘You’re not good enough,’” but rather "getting inside the shoes of your consumer."

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One company that seems to have been able to do just that is Addition Elle. Their vision and mission is to "champion a fashion democracy, where style isn’t limited by size." They promise to "deliver modern, fashionable clothes; in an inspiring, world-class shopping experience in-store and online" to help women who wear their clothes to "feel confident, beautiful and included in the fashion world."

I've been shopping at Addition Elle for over a decade. I've always appreciated the variety of fashionable clothes they've offered. Their sizes, styles and options for women size 12 and up only continue to improve. When I read their new slogan #IamSizeSexy, which debuted in March 2015, I smiled to myself. Yes I am, I thought. There is no need to define what size sexy actually is.

Standing with you,
Stephanie