Jessica Weiner: "Walk Your Talk"

Bethanne Patrick, of AOL.com, interviews body image expert Jessica Weiner.

Bethanne Patrick: The things you are talking about: changing language, changing thoughts; these are things that mothers and teachers can use to help young girls and women develop healthy self-images. What are some of your tips for doing that with younger women?

Jessica Weiner: For every parent out there, every coach, every mentor, you've got to remember the number one rule is -- you have to 'walk your talk.' You have to model the behavior you wish to see in your children or your students. You have to be able to emulate what you are talking about, because that adds credibility. So many times I would hear, for instance, my mother say, 'It is not what matters on the outside. It matters what's on the inside.' Then I would look at her and she hated who she was on the inside.

Bethanne Patrick: And on the outside, maybe.

Jessica Weiner: On the outside too. I'm thinking, 'Well, wait a minute, if she is behaving like that, then why should I be any different.' So we really need to 'walk our talk.' Beyond that, we need to listen to girls differently than we have been. ... I am working with families who have 4 and 5-year-olds who want to go on a diet. That is learned behavior; that is a control issue...

This post really hits home for me since I am an elementary school teacher. It is so important to "walk the talk", as Jessica says. What good is it to discourage a young girl from criticizing her body when we are so harsh on our own? Kids are smart and they know when we are just paying lip service to positive body image. My mom spoke to me about a talk she recently heard from Gloria Steinem. Gloria said that when we speak about our bodies, we should picture a young girl listening. I don't have children of my own, but think about the kind of example I want to set for them when I do. I want them to have a mom who "walks her talk" and loves her own body, while encouraging her children to do the same.