A Different Measure

In a culture that has long considered women a commodity, it is unsurprising girls grow up believing their value is tied to their appearance and suffer greatly if they don't conform to particular expectations. Studies have shown by age 12, girls' self-confidence will plummet and not recover for at least nine years, in sharp contrast to boys of the same cohort.

The explosive growth of social media, particularly visual formats like Instagram and Snapchat, further ties girls' sense of self-worth to their appearance and others' reactions to it by inviting comparisons to curated, filtered images, often perfected with "beautifying" apps designed expressly for this purpose.

Since 2007, the suicide rate for girls age 10 to 14 rose by nearly 13 percent, nearly double the rate for boys, and data suggests that self-esteem issues, bullying and social media are contributing to the rise.

Over and over and over again, women and girls are taught they are inherently less valuable than men, and their primary value lies in their appearance, desirability or proximity to men. The consequences can be devastating - ranging from unequal pay and disparities in medical care, to enabling environments that permit sexual harassment and assault. Other documented outcomes linked with poor self-esteem include increased incidences of eating disorders, obesity, smoking, early onset of sexual activity and alcohol abuse.

The challenge is to break the link between girls’ appearance and outcomes, while reinforcing the importance of healthy living, equal access to opportunity, and support for perseverance, courage, leadership, passion, and self-determination.

To really drive systemic change, we need an ongoing, focused and sustained effort to change the way we value girls.

It's time for a Different Measure.