Here is a statistic from the Growing Up Latina survey that 521 women completed in support of the research for Hijas Americanas: 84% of respondents feel that women today are held to a higher beauty standard than women were 20 years ago.
In the September 2007 issue of Fitness Magazine, you’ll find an interview with Daisy Fuentes, the Cuban-born TV personality, an MTV VJ for my generation of girls and the only Latina I remember really seeing in the media in my teens. In it, she shares her thoughts on why Latinas are struggling with America’s standard of beauty (sounds very familiar, eh?) and then she talks about one of her favorite non-profit organizations, Girls on the Run, which was started by a fabulous woman by the name of Molly Barker.
I’ve had the good fortune as a writer to interview Molly for a couple different articles. She’s unbelievably fabulous and an inspiration. She’s a Charlotte resident who started Girls on the Run at her alma mater (for primary and secondary school) and now its all over the place. She’s written a book that you should pick up if you have daughters (and another one that you should pick up for your daughters) and if you want to be a part of the beauty revolutions, you should most definitely check out Girls on the Run (for you and for the girls in your life).
Finally, the interview with Daisy is followed by a special report called “Curves in Crisis” where I and others discuss the growing trend of body dissatisfaction among women of color. I am leading a workshop on Tuesday night at 7 pm at the Barnes and Noble in Huntersville, NC called “Championing Beauty and Body Confidence in Your Teens.” Wednesday’s blog will feature some suggestions from that workshop.
