Growing up as a girl in our society is a tall order. Now more than ever we find that our tech savvy world is making it more difficult for future generations of females to feel secure with their own bodies. With enhancement programs like photoshop and even pic monkey, you’re sure to come across hundreds if not thousands of edited photos during your day to day life.And they just make it harder for us all to remember what’s normal.

According to Dove Global research, only 11% of girls ages 10-17 feel comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves. That’s not acceptable. More than Sixty percent girls globally will avoid their normal daily activities like going to school, seeing a Doctor, or even expressing their opinion. Which means that we, as a society, are missing out on future leaders because these girls didn’t believe in themselves enough to pursue their dreams or take care of themselves.

Ladies, have you ever seen celebrities with their makeup off? Sober up and take a look at those photos instead of the glossy mag shots to remind you that you that there are no super humans ! With time, money, the right stylist, makeup artist, and photoshop editor, anyone can look like a million bucks. But here’s the crux of the matter. We need to feel at peace with ourselves when we don’t have all the extras helping us out. Here are the things I want to tell young girls today.

You are not alone. All of us have doubted our looks or our talents at one point or another. Maybe we wished we were taller, had smaller feet, a refined nose, bigger boobs, a quieter laugh, leaner thighs, a more outgoing personality, or a better singing voice.You are not alone in feeling insecure at times. Just make sure you realize that it’s a fleeting moment of doubt and nip it in the bud. Your feelings usually have something to do with other issues entirely. Maybe you’re feeling nervous at a new school or you’re just in a bad mood. Don’t let negative thoughts drown the good ones.

Embrace yourself. We all have those feelings at one time or another. It’s in those moments that we forget what truly makes us special. Take a serious look at yourself and appreciate those unique traits. If you have gap teeth , well guess what, there are supermodels that are rocking it. That tightly coiled curly hair you hate fixing and that stresses you out, I’ve admired it before. What you hate about yourself, others probably find beautiful. Develop trust.They embraced it and so can you. We are our own worst enemies sometimes.

Appearances aren’t what they seem
That confident looking girl that just walked into the room may be waiting for someone to hello or smile warmly. She needs a friend too. So please don’t tear each other down no matter how snobby or aloof someone appears to be. They may just be shy and need to feel welcome before opening up. What hurts me the most is seeing or hearing other girls be mean to each other. Don’t be afraid to stand up and speak for those that can’t. Silence is not always a virtue and by protecting others you are making it easier for all of us to support each other and succeed.

We’re all different for a reason. That’s beautiful. Visit Vivemejor.com to access free tools to motivate and inspire a girl in your life. You can download the “Let’s Talk” Toolkit developed by Dove Global Sel-Esteem Ambassador Jess Weiner to help moms and mentors start a conversation about healthy self-esteem. What’s really beautiful is that Dove has reached over 9 million girls with this self-esteem programming so far. With your help they can reach 15 million by 2015. Check out Dove.com to learn more about their partners the Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., and Boys & Girls clubs of America. Together we can impact the lives of many girls just by starting a conversation.

More resources: Let’s Talk (In Spanish) at Vive Mejor Hablamos and the Main Vive Mejor Site

What would you like to say to young girls out there?

Have you felt less confident lately? What did you do to snap out of it?