From my Instructions Not Included parenting blog.

At 15 Gabby is incredibly conscious about her body, her looks, her skin, her weight, her clothes. As most girls her age are, she is very aware of what other people think when they see her and she spends quite a bit of time worrying about it. She doesn't walk out of the house without doing her hair and putting on the make-up. She rolls her eyes when I, or her father, tell her that she is beautiful without the make-up, convinced we're only saying that because we have to, we're the parents.

But I, like many parents of girls, wonder if the obsession with beauty at such a seemingly young age, is really fueled by the media and the fashion industry. Are all those ads for make-up, skin potions and lotions, hair products, weight loss pills and clothing feeding an unnatural desire to be perfect all the time?

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca thinks so, and I would have to agree.

Dove previously released the commercial "Evolution," which features the transformation of a model from beginning to end. It's a pretty eye-opening film. If you haven't seen it, you can find it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Now the Dove campaign has released another film, this time featuring a young girl and clips of images she'll likely see as she grows up. It, like it's predecessor, is an eye-opener. Especially if you're at all concerned about what your daughter may be seeing and how it could be affecting her future image of herself.

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaH4y6ZjSfE