Hi. My name is Heather and I'm a real swimsuit model. Thick thighs, post-baby flab, deflated nursing boobs and all. Of course I'm not the kind featured in Sports Illustrated. You'll never see me in a suntan lotion ad or on a billboard holding a summer-y beverage. My...
Helping Daughter with Body Image
Should a Christian Woman Wear a Bikini?
Should a Christian woman wear a bikini? This complex and confusing issue is one that a lot of people have an opinion about. Here's the answer I gave one of my readers when she asked this question (and she gave me permission to share it! No matter where you stand on...
Dear Girl Mom, She’s Watching: Teaching Our Daughters Not to Hate Their Bodies
This is a letter I'm writing to you, but also to myself. You see moms, our daughters are watching (so are our sons). But we have to not just teach them how not to hate their bodies, we have to show them. The job is a big one. But, our girls are watching. Dear Girl...
How Victoria’s Secret Impacts Body Image: A Letter to My Daughter
I wrote this quick letter to my daughter about her value a few months ago, the evening that the Victoria's Secret swimsuit special aired on national television. I think our girls have it tough on the body image front in this Victoria's Secret world we live in. I...
How Do I Help My Daughter With Her Body Image? The First 4 Steps
I don't know at what exact moment it all changed. But I remember in third grade when I stood in front of the gold-trimmed, full-length mirror in the corner of my room and made an assessment that I would carry with me for decades: My thighs were large. This thought...
Stop Telling Her She’s Pretty: Help Your Daughter Feel Confident
As we continue our Helping Your Daughter with her Body Image Series, today, I want to ask you to do something unexpected to help your daughter feel confident. I want you to stop telling her she's pretty. Allow me to explain how this can help your daughter feel...
Helping Your Daughter With Body Image Issues
At barely six-weeks-old, I was forced to engage in my daughter's body image battle. I visited the office of my periodontist in an effort to overhaul my terribly messed-up, post-pregnancy gums. With an hour round-trip to his office, my husband and I deemed it wise to...
Help, I Think My Daughter is Fat! How to Help!
Today our "Questions" series continues with this SUPER tough one from a reader up north! Dear Heather: I have been encouraged by your posts and reminded to look past comparisons and to Christ. However, I'm struggling lately because my daughter is gaining weight and...
Looking Hot Versus Modesty: A Letter to a Young Woman
My Dear Girl: Where did the time go? I just saw your picture on Facebook and could hardly believe how grown up you look. You are not that precocious five-year-old girl to whom I used to sing the Dora the Explorer song. You are technically an adult now. Wow! But, as I...
To My Beautiful Brown Baby Girl
To my beautiful brown baby girl . . . Dear daughter: Mommy will be with you until God takes her home to heaven but God, your perfect heavenly father, will always be with you. He will be with you during times of injustices. You may be denied career, educational,...