Pacto para o bem-estar e autoestima de nossas meninas | Joana Cannabrava | TEDxNiteroi

The Pressure to Conform to Beauty Standards

• The speaker discusses the pressure women face to conform to beauty standards.
• She notes that many women spend more time and money on their appearance than they would like.
• The speaker argues that the emphasis on women's appearance is a product of a patriarchal society.
• She shares her own experience with the pressure to conform to beauty standards, including a comment about her nose from her parents when she was a baby.
• The speaker emphasizes that she is not criticizing women who care about their appearance, but rather the societal structures that place such a high value on it.

The Speaker's Personal Journey

• The speaker discusses how her parents, despite their good intentions, projected their own fears and traumas onto her.
• She explains that she received the message that a woman needed to be thin and beautiful to achieve her dreams and have a successful life.
• This message was reinforced by media portrayals of women and the emphasis on finding a "prince charming."
• The speaker's parents, who had experienced weight-based discrimination, feared that she would face similar challenges if she gained weight.
• This fear led them to reinforce the importance of thinness, even though the speaker was already facing societal pressure to be thin.
• The speaker shares her personal experience with weight struggles, starting at age 12 when she was called "obese" in a shopping mall.
• She describes her journey with dieting and weight loss, which spanned from age 11 to 28.
• The speaker also mentions her struggles with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, highlighting the lasting impact of societal pressure on her self-image.
• She reflects on the constant pressure to conform to societal beauty standards, even when achieving a thin body did not guarantee freedom from criticism.
• The speaker struggled with the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards, feeling the need for external validation through dating and social media.
• In 2015, after ending a long-term relationship, the speaker's therapist challenged her to take control of her own choices and relationships, prompting a journey of self-discovery.
• This journey involved reclaiming her own narrative and understanding that external opinions and judgments often reflected the biases and projections of others.
• The speaker realized that her self-worth was not tied to her physical appearance and that she could find happiness and fulfillment without conforming to societal expectations.
• This transformation led to a shift in her perspective, allowing her to criticize societal standards rather than her own body.
• The speaker embraced her authentic self, posting unedited photos and setting boundaries in her personal and professional life.
• Sharing her journey online, despite initial fears of negative reactions, had a positive impact, inspiring others to embrace their own individuality.
• The speaker discovered that the pressure to conform to beauty standards was not an individual experience, but a shared one among women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.

The Importance of Self-Knowledge

• The speaker realized that self-esteem is not about achieving a certain physical appearance, but about self-knowledge and understanding.
• The speaker believes that self-knowledge involves examining one's cultural context, analyzing one's understanding of race, class, and gender, and potentially engaging in therapy.
• The speaker questions the common conflation of self-worth with physical attractiveness, suggesting that it is important to consider the societal pressures that contribute to this association.
• The speaker argues that the pursuit of a "perfect body" is often a shield against criticism and vulnerability, and that true self-knowledge requires embracing vulnerability and authenticity.

Challenging Societal Expectations

• The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of dismantling societal expectations around appearance, but emphasizes the importance of recognizing the influence of these expectations and making conscious choices about one's relationship with them.
• The speaker suggests that while it is okay to desire physical attractiveness, it should not be the defining factor in one's sense of self.
• The speaker believes that women are more than their physical appearance and that embracing this truth can lead to a more fulfilling sense of self.

Moving Beyond Appearance

• The text discusses the societal pressure on women to conform to beauty standards and the need to move beyond this focus.
• It acknowledges that while increased representation helps with mental health and self-esteem, it doesn't necessarily remove the emphasis on beauty.
• The text proposes a "global pact" for a shift in focus towards the well-being of girls and women.
• It suggests starting with individual actions that impact children, emphasizing the importance of a community approach to raising children.
• The text uses the example of the speaker's niece, Olivia, to illustrate the importance of praising girls beyond their appearance.
• Olivia is surrounded by strong female role models, including her mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who are all working to challenge societal norms.

Raising a New Generation

• The text discusses the importance of providing young girls with positive role models and diverse representations.
• It highlights the impact of books featuring strong female characters, such as the story of Ingrid Silva, a Brazilian ballerina who became the first ballerina of the American Dance Theater of Harlem in New York.
• The text emphasizes the need to expose girls to diverse interests and activities beyond traditional gender roles, such as theater, games, and sports.
• It argues that focusing on a child's strengths and interests can foster self-esteem and confidence.
• The text criticizes the tendency of schools to focus on grades and academic performance, potentially leading girls to feel inadequate.
• It stresses the importance of setting a positive example for girls, as they learn by observing the behavior of adults.
• The text acknowledges the societal pressures that contribute to female dissatisfaction with their bodies and appearance, often driven by marketing and social media trends.
• It calls for collective action to challenge these pressures and create a world where women can thrive in leadership roles without facing body-shaming or objectification.

A New Era of Authenticity

• The speaker argues that the value placed on women's appearance should be redistributed to recognize other attributes, such as their skills and contributions.
• The speaker emphasizes that appearance should be a relevant factor but not a determining one, similar to how it is for men.
• The speaker envisions a new era where individuals can express themselves authentically, moving away from the "culture of appearing" and focusing on the "culture of being."
• The speaker proposes that a new generation should be encouraged to shed the burden of appearance, recognizing the challenges of a society that is often sexist, racist, fatphobic, and ableist.
• The speaker concludes by asking for support in bringing about this change.