THERE she is, staring out at you from the front page, a comely, coquettish expression washed across her face.
In an era where descriptions of plus-sized models are so often couched in condescending euphemisms rather than genuine expressions of beauty, Sarah Peat should be admired for her confidence and courage.
Despite the platitudes, body image remains a defining issue for so many young women. We’re raising a generation of clones – take a look around.
Young women plagued by self-doubt, paralysed by peer pressure, sinking in a sub-culture where style and sexuality are more important than values and substance.
We’re creating self-loathing, shallow, insecure girls, chasing an air-brushed ideal that doesn’t exist.
How did we allow this to happen? Why, as a society, have we abrogated responsibility for raising our children to the mass media?
Women like Ms Peat are determined to give us that power back.
Her voice is but a whisper in a world where teenage body image is god, where cosmetic surgery, eating disorders, binge drinking and suicide are rife. Self-esteem is the bedrock of a healthy human and impossible ideals take that away.
We need to grab control and somehow reprogram our children into realising that it’s what you create, not what you possess, that determines your worth.
And most importantly, they need to know that if they don’t truly love themselves, no one else will.
