Ep 5: Girls as Confident, Courageous Self-Advocates

“ The most helpful piece of advice that any adult has ever given me to help me with my body image is that I should really just be confident in myself. Because if you are confident in yourself then you radiate happiness.” (Claire, Montreal, Canada) Beginning in their pre-teen years, many girls contend with body image issues, continuing to struggle throughout their teenage years and well into adulthood, often to the detriment of their emotional well-being, physical health and confidence. This should not surprise us as girls are bombarded from every direction—from boys, media, advertising campaigns, parents, coaches, and even friends--about how every part of their bodies should look and feel. In this episode, we hear from two educators who tackle the topic head on, convinced that the right messaging at the front end of the process of becoming a woman can have a long-term positive effect on a girl’s sense of herself in her own body and her ability to accept herself for who she is. Erika Rath, who serves as the Director of Student Services at Sacred Heart School of Montreal in Canada, and Warren Perry, who is the Aquatics Director at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City, join host Trudy Hall, former NCGS Board Chair and advocate for girls’ schools, for a conversation about how they address body image issues in their conversations with girls in the earliest stages of becoming young women. Parents and adults who are raising girls of all ages should listen in, as getting girls to feel comfortable in their own bodies is critical to their healthy development and this is work that we need to do together, relentlessly, consistently, speaking with one voice. The resources you need to know about: NCGS: www.ncgs.org Sacred Heart Network: https://www.sacredheartusc.education/ Erika Rath’s Blog: https://www.sacredheart.qc.ca/blog/ Warren Perry’s Body Image article: https://www.cshnyc.org/athletics/aquatics/body-image-for-middle-school-female-swimmers