Is this the secret to body confidence?
*Note: In a previous version of the article it was stated that Shayaunna Griswold was the mother to the children in the hyperlinked Instagram photos, she is not.
Some people are so self-conscious that the camera will “add an extra 10 pounds” that they tend to be overly critical before taking a photo — or avoid taking them all together.
According to a recent Yahoo Lifestyle survey, teens between the ages of 13 and 17 reported that their first bout of body shame occurred as young as 9 or 10 years old. Overall, the biggest drivers of body shame are children’s classmates and the media (including television and social media) — although one in four admitted their parents contributed to their feeling self-conscious about their bodies.
But one body-positive blogger is on a mission to educate her young girls about self-love and how to pose boldly for photos without having to worry about body insecurities. Shayaunna Griswold, known as Shayracha to her 12,000-plus Instagram followers, shared a few candid Instagram snaps of her and a young girl, smiling and posing confidently.
“Teaching her posing,” Griswold captioned next to the stunning snaps. “Seeing these photos and how she looks at me makes my heart so incredibly happy. We aren’t born being insecure, we’re taught it. Society tells us what is popular, what is weird … If you don’t fit into a very narrow mold — you’re an outcast.”
The blogger reminds her followers that insecurity is created — that body shaming starts early, but there’s more subtle ways we’re taught it as well, like through media and magazines.
“Micro aggressions against ourselves that children pick up on — even school age kids talk about ‘going on a diet’ or pinch at their skin in disgust. They learn it from us. It’s awful … But the good thing is — confidence is created too. Confidence and acceptance are both learned through exposure to it and open discussion.”
“Every day I strive to be the woman I needed as an outcast kid,” Griswold concludes. “When I see this kid’s face in these photos? I know I’m doing something right.”
Griswold, who once participated in People‘s #ShareYourSize: Campaign, received tons of support from her followers for reminding them to “be the role models they themselves needed as children.”
“I love this so much,” wrote one follower. “I always try to live by ‘be who you needed as a child’ but you get to apply it on this wonderful kid for real and I’m glad you get to be that influence. Raise kids to have self-esteem.”
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