The Problem:
You’ll Never Be Enough!
Have you ever thought, “I’m not enough”? You’re not alone in this battle.
70% OF GIRLS BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH OR DON'T MEASURE UP IN SOME WAY.
Teenage girls, like Erin (see Our Journey), are increasingly being discontent and detached from life. In a culture that dictates how they should look, act, and live in order to be enough, many have lost their true sense of worth and identity.
Stats are rising in the damaging effects of low self-esteem, self-harm, depression and suicide... But these can all be limited and even avoided... Replacing the debilitating messages we are consuming with a new power to CHOOSE what we intake, to CHOOSE to embrace and celebrate our REAL identity and value, CHOOSE to see our own strength, worth and unlimited potential, CHOOSE to be REAL about where we're at, CHOOSE to encourage and enable each other, CHOOSE to just be. ChooseREAL.
75% of girls suffering from low self-esteem are engaging in self-destructive behaviours, depression, self-harm and even suicide. THEY NEED OUR HELP!
What If . . .
But what if girls didn’t feel the need to hustle for their approval and acceptance, but claimed their intrinsic worth and were unashamedly authentic and REAL, not moulded into other’s expectations, but FREE…
“We see a generation of girls accepting and loving their REAL identity and value, celebrating others, and being more than enough, just as they are.”
Esteem Designz and our ChooseREAL Campaign aims to be a solution to the ever-increasing issues and confronting pressures girls in our community are facing, such as constant comparison, deceiving messages of perfectionism through the media, peer pressure, unrealistic expectations, not being content or confident in themselves and more!
We don’t want any more casualties of the ‘you’re inadequate’ media stream, of girls alone in the playground not confident to reach out, of girls wishing their lives away, not content with who they really are, putting themselves in dangerous positions for attention, to mask the pain, to feel something.
Self-esteem: self-worth, self-confidence, identity, self-belief.
Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which an individual views herself/himself as inadequate, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating BEHAVIOUR.
Studies untaken by the CRC Health Group, indicate that one in five suffer from emotional or behavioural problems with little or no intervention or treatment, resorting to self-destructive ways to deals with life (Group 2009) (Reasoner 2007).
To effectively respond to the problems teens face, the underlying issue must be addressed, that of low self-esteem, the primary origin of problematic behaviours (Candito 1996).
62% of Girls are insecure about themselves.
60% of girls stop doing what they love because they feel bad about their looks.
56% of teens feel that the media's advertisements are the main cause of low self-esteem.
80% of women agree that every woman has something about her that is beautiful but do not see their own beauty.
Only 2-4% of girls around the world consider themselves beautiful. This means 96-98% of girls don’t think they are beautiful.
Over half of all teens (52%) feel that the media pressures them to change their body image.
1 out of 2 of teens state they have personally struggled with mental illness at some point.
Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks.
Suicide attempts
For every completed suicide, it is estimated that as many as 30 people attempt.
That’s around 200 attempts per day.
That’s more than one new attempt in Australia every 10 minutes.
It is estimated that around 250 people make a suicide plan every day.
It is estimated that around 1,000 people think about suicide every day.
We all have a role to play in suicide prevention.
In Australia, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the 10-24 years age group.
“We are not about sticking a bandaid on an open wound, but going right to the source, to the heart of the matter, to the core of girls, to transform how they see themselves and the world. Empowering them to see who they REALLY are as #MoreThanEnough, as whole, complete, not lacking, beautiful, valued, so worthy and more!”
Stat Sources +
Neuman, M.D., Fredric. "Low Self-esteem." Psychology Today. Accessed March 3, 2014. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fighting-fear/201304/low-self-esteem
>> 75% of girls suffering from low self-esteem are engaging in self-destructive behaviours, depression, self-harm and even suicide.
PR Newswire Association LLC. . "New National Report Reveals the High Price of Low Self-Esteem." Dove Self-Esteem Fund. Assessed March 2, 2014. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-national-report-reveals-the-high-price-of-low-self-esteem-65355592.html.
>> 70% of girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way.
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove® Self-Esteem Fund. http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Toolkit-And-Resources/real-girl-real-pressure.aspx http://www.cleancutmedia.com/articles/girl-self-esteem-image-issues-parents
>> Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks.
"Brands in Action: Dove." Unilever USA. Accessed March 3, 2014. http://www.unileverusa.com/brands-in-action/detail/Dove-/298217/.
>> Only 2-4% of girls around the world consider themselves beautiful. This means 96-98% of girls don’t think they are beautiful.
Dove Research: The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited http://www.dove.us/Our-Mission/Girls-Self-Esteem/Our-Research/default.aspx
>> Only 11% of girls globally are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves.
Dove Research: The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited http://www.dove.com/uk/stories/about-dove/our-research.html
>> 80% of women agree that every woman has something about her that is beautiful but do not see their own beauty.
Dove Research: The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited http://www.dove.com/uk/stories/about-dove/our-research.html
>> 62% of Girls are insecure about themselves.
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove® Self-Esteem Fund. http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Toolkit-And-Resources/real-girl-real-pressure.aspx
>> 6 in 10 (60%) girls stop doing what they love because they feel bad about their looks.
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove® Self-Esteem Fund. http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Toolkit-And-Resources/real-girl-real-pressure.aspx
>> 78% of girls with low self-esteem admit that it is hard to feel do well in school when you do not feel good about how you look
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, commissioned by the Dove® Self-Esteem Fund. http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Toolkit-And-Resources/real-girl-real-pressure.aspx
>> 1 out of 2 of teens state they have personally struggled with mental illness at some point.
Statistics collected by StageofLife.com as part of its monthly Teen Trend Report. http://www.stageoflife.com/StageHighSchool/TeensandMentalIllness.aspx
>> Over half of all teens (52%) feel that the media pressures them to change their body image.
Stage of Life National Survey. Depleting Body Image: The effects of female magazine models on the self-esteem and body image of college-age women. Authors: Mary-Signe Chojnacki, Christina Grant, Kathryn Maguire, Katie Regan. Count For Manuscript: 7809 https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~jpiliavi/357/body-image.htm http://www.stageoflife.com/TeensandBodyImage.aspx
>> 56% of teens feel that the media's advertisements are the main cause of low self-esteem.
Stage of Life National Survey. Depleting Body Image: The effects of female magazine models on the self-esteem and body image of college-age women. Authors: Mary-Signe Chojnacki, Christina Grant, Kathryn Maguire, Katie Regan. Count For Manuscript: 7809 http://cultureandyouth.org/stats/lifestyle/stress-self-esteem/
>> 91% of teens have been a victim of bullying.
Stage of Life National Survey http://www.stageoflife.com/TeensandBullies.aspx
>> Suicide attempts:
- For every completed suicide, it is estimated that as many as 30 people attempt.
- That’s around 200 attempts per day.
- That’s more than one new attempt in Australia every 10 minutes.
- It is estimated that around 250 people make a suicide plan every day.
- It is estimated that around 1,000 people think about suicide every day.
In Australia, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the 10-24 years age group.
http://www.mindframe-media.info/for-media/reporting-suicide/facts-and-stats https://www.lifeline.org.au/About-Lifeline/Media-Centre/Suicide-Statistics-in-Australia/Suicide-Statistics